Forks Electrical Contracting
by Jimbop
Summary: Everyone from the Twilight universe is roughly ten years older, and its the start of book 1. Would they all have jobs? I say yes, they would. This is my effort at a retelling in an AU situation where all involved people are 'responsible' adults. Stephanie Myers owns these characters, not me. Its my first effort on here, so all feedback will be appreciated. Please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Given the chance I would never have moved to Forks in the first place. It wasn't exactly my favourite place in the whole world. It was always damp up there, and the constant moisture in the atmosphere played havoc with my hair. Plus you never knew what to wear. I mean come on, was it going to rain, or was it just going to stay foggy all day? Nobody knew.

I had been visiting ever since I was a kid, since my mom left my dad and ran off to live somewhere less damp. My dad, Charlie, had never really recovered from that one, spending a long time as a spinster. Oh he met someone eventually, but we'll get to that shortly.

Phoenix was a completely different living proposition, warm most of the time, sunny most of the time, you know, before I made the decision to move I never even owned a jacket never mind a poncho or waterproof coat. The high school had been clean and modern, the university large and scholarly, and the office where I had worked the last four years, well it was work but not the most terrible of jobs. But now it was all over.

Rene, my mom had tried to talk me out of leaving, but I didn't really have much of a choice. I had to go. Charlie had been texting me a lot lately, which said a lot because I knew how much he hated using his phone. A few years ago he had followed in mom's footsteps and remarried. But recently it had collapsed, and she had left him. His texts were manly, yes, but filled with pain, so I decided he needed some kind of family around him.

Getting a new job in Forks was easy. There was an Electrical contracting firm always hiring, and Charlie pulled a few strings to get me an online interview. That was easy enough, and they offered me the job right then. It was a bit of a pay cut, but I figured I would be living less expensively up there anyway. I remembered my childhood visits to spend the summer with Charlie, and the fact that there was very little to do or even spend money on.

As I went through security at the gate I kissed mom goodbye, promising to call, text and email as often as I could. She was tearful, as you would expect.

"It's not too late, you could stay..." She said, cheeks stained with tears.

"No mom, I made up my mind, I have to do this."

"Take care of him then, he acts strong, but he's fragile, you know?"

"Ok mom, no worries."

I gave her a hug and a kiss and off I went, through the door that would lead to a completely new life. If only I could have know how different it would really be.

What can I say about the journey? Well it was pretty dull. When I was a teenager I had avoided making the trip where possible, and as a college student I had actually driven up once. It was a crazy two day road trip, and my beat up old station wagon nearly gave up on me on the way home.

It was evening when I finally collected my bags at the airport and walked into the arrivals hall in Port Angeles. There he was, in his police chief uniform, waiting to pick me up. He smiled. I figured I must look an absolute wreck after that trip, my hair was all over the place, makeup smudged and worn off. And we still had over an hour in the car.

He was quiet and awkward in the car, my cases filling the back of the police cruiser. Why did he collect me in that? Surely he could have borrowed something more suitable. Anyway, the drive seemed long, and dark. And fortunately the radio broke the silence nicely with golden oldies. Neither of us were great conversationalists, so sitting in silence was probably the best option.

And there is was. The same old house from my childhood. The one I had crashed at as a student. Holy crap, let's do this.

We hauled my stuff inside and he showed me to my room. It had been gutted since I was a kid, my unannounced college road trip had seen me sleep on the couch because my room was full of boxes. Now it was empty save a bed and a desk. I could live with that. The more challenging aspect would be the bathroom situation, but I figured I would worry about that later. I really needed to get my own place, but I figured I should see how the job went first.

It was getting late when I finally finished unpacking. The closet was crammed and stuff was in neat piles all around the room. After a quick shower I was ready for bed.

The great thing about Charlie was that he wasn't the type to linger. He had shown me up here, reminded me how the shower worked and got himself the heck out of dodge. By which I mean he settled in front of the TV watching the game.

I popped my head into the lounge to see he was fully engrossed in the action, beer can gripped tightly.

"Ok dad, I'm off to bed, see you tomorrow." I said with a little sigh.

"Ok Bella," he turned his attention to me, then snapped his head back as the commentator howled about something amazing. He returned his gaze, a little shamefully. "I'll be gone when you get up, so good luck, and have a great day."

"Thanks dad."

"Oh and Bella..." he paused, looking thoughtful. "Thanks for this, I really appreciate it."

"No problem dad."

I went back upstairs and slipped into bed. I wish I could say I slept well after the tiring day of travel, but I would be lying. There was a constant patter of rain, and a low howl of wind. Great. this was really setting me up well for my first day of work. Why did I travel on the Sunday when I could have travelled on the Saturday and had all day to recover? Ah well, too late for that now.

I'm sure I nodded off eventually, but it took a long time. The rain kept changing from pitter patter to whooshing to hammering to back again. And that was not conductive to sleep. But I knew I had gotten off because the alarm scared the hell out of me.

I rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. Sure enough, the house was silent, and the cruiser was nowhere to be seen. There was a battered old truck on the drive though, which I assumed was a project Charlie was working on or something.

My work clothes were comfortable, pants, blazer and blouse. I kept it low key with the hair and makeup too, no need bringing too much attention to myself.

In the kitchen I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat at the table where I found a note from Charlie.

 _Hi Bella, good luck today._

 _I forgot to tell you last night, I figured you might need some transport so I got you a car._

 _Well, ok, it's a truck. Billy Black sold it me very cheap, said his boy refurbished it._

 _Anyway, it runs fine, so don't worry about the bus._

 _I don't know how we didn't notice it last night. Must have been dark._

 _Love Charlie_

Ok, well that was two mysteries solved. First, the rusting hulk on the drive was apparently mine. And it would go so well with my outfit. Second, I had just figured out how I was getting to work.

I finished up my breakfast and cleaned the bowl, then picked up my bag and brand new jacket on my way out the door.

The truck was not only huge, it was the colour of rust. I assumed this was because it was mostly made up of rust. It fired up first time, and almost deafened me. The way it shook I wondered how in the world it didn't shake itself apart. But it seemed to work ok, and it was mine, and that was great. I held back a tear. All I needed right now was to need to fix my mascara.

I had brought my sat nav with me from Phoenix, but I probably could have found the place without it. Forks wasn't exactly a sprawling metropolis. My route took me down high street which wasn't exactly teeming with life, past the high school, and a short way up the road past the last house to the north of town.

I pulled the truck into the paved courtyard which been alerted to me by the large sign that read 'Forks Electrical Contracting' it was a large open courtyard with a few empty spaces. I parked in one of the visitors spaces figuring my first day was my only chance to do so.

Then I collected myself, grabbed my handbag and headed for the door marked 'Reception'.

It was a fairly old looking set of buildings, maybe twenty or thirty years? They actually all looked like they could have been built in different eras. Reception was nice though, shiny glass surfaces and pictures on the walls of what I assumed were the high profile jobs the company had carried out. Hmm, fascinating.

A nice lady was sitting behind the reception desk wearing a big smile. I walked up to the desk and laid my handbag down. She seemed fully aware of who I was though.

"Oh hey, you must be Isabella Swan, our new girl?" She beamed at me. Oh great, I was going to be the new celebrity in town? That I could live without.

"That's me. Call me Bella." said, not quite through gritted teeth.

"Ok honey, let me call Esme for you. Take a seat."

I perched myself on the edge of a large leather chair opposite the desk. The receptionist tried very hard to look busy, but I could feel her looking at me. It was quite unsettling. Then a young man came around the corner, tall, glasses, dark hair slicked back. He was apparently still recovering from teenage acne. Poor guy.

"Hey, Isabella?" He asked, gesturing for me to follow.

"Call me Bella." Yeah this was going to be tedious.

"So you moved here from Phoenix? Leaving all that sun must be hard?" But still you bring it up.

"It was a difficult choice, but here I am." I followed him through a small rabbit warren of office, feeling eyes upon me as I passed through each room. It was going to be a long day. Eventually we reached a medium sized meeting room with a large TV on the wall. He gestured for me to take a seat.

"Ok, watch this short film, and I'm sure Esme will be with you shortly." He said, pushing play on a remote. I'm not going to lie, the film was tedious. Lots of obvious stuff about what to do in case of emergency and all that. Towards the end I could feel my eyelids getting heavy, so I was relived when the door opened and in walked the lady I knew from my video interview.

"Bella, how are you?" Esme asked, stepping forward to shake my hand. "Great to finally meet you. Did you have a good trip?" She was very beautiful, in her late thirties maybe early forties. She was well dressed too, very classy. But the thing I noticed that hadn't come across online was how pale she was.

"You too. Yes thank you, it was very long." I answered, letting her take the lead.

"Well, hopefully you can settle in nice and fast. Let's get you a tour shall we?" She leaned out of the room and called a girl named Angela. "This is Angela, she knows her way around. Let me know if you need anything."

Angela bounded into the room, a bit shorter than me, average looking with loose dark hair almost covering her face. Esme turned back to me. "We're just getting your desk set up, so take your time..." And with that she was gone.

Then Angela was right in my face. "Hi, uh, so you're Isabella huh? Cool."

I sighed. "Bella."

"Oh, ok, Bella. Let's take a walk, shall we?" She gestured towards the open door, so I followed her out into the large office. "This is the Admin office. Oh don't worry about remembering who and where everyone is, you'll be spending time in each department." She gave me a big, toothy smile.

"Right, ok." I was starting to feel like a show dog already.

"So this is where I hang out, and some of the other girls." I looked around and saw a bunch of faces illuminated by monitors. Most were female, but I did recognise the guy who showed me up. He waved when he saw me looking. "That's Eric, I guess you met already?"

"Yeah he collected me from reception."

"Oh, ok." She seemed relived that he wasn't an old friend or something. "Well that..." She pointed to the glass walled office at the end of the room, "is where Esme lives. She's a great boss, very loving. She married the MD, you know?"

I just nodded and followed along like a poodle. We left that office and walked down a short hallway, passing restrooms and a store cupboard. At the end was another office.

"Ok, so this is sales. There are meeting rooms here, and that..." she pointed to another large glass office, this one had the blinds open and I could see an incredibly handsome man, who was surely in his late forties, on the phone in deep conversation. "That is our managing director, owner and all round great guy, Mister Cullen. But we all call him Carlisle." Wow. I could see why people did what he asked.

The rest of the room was busy, mostly with people on telephones. I noticed a couple of pale, beautiful faces, but thought nothing of it. Almost as soon as I was comfortable we moved on.

We walked out into the factory, which wasn't very large, probably around thirty men all working hard putting things together. There was a canteen out there and a small office. We went outside into the drizzle and crossed the courtyard to the second largest building. This one was more brick where the last one was mainly sheet steel.

"Ok, this is where the engineers are" Angela said as she opened the door for me. We went up some stairs into a vary wide spacious office. All the seats in here were taken by men. Some ordinary, some less so. We quickly walked through and down another set of stairs which led out into a covered courtyard with some snack machines in the corner and some picnic tables.

"This is the quad. most of the office staff take our lunch out here." It was quite a nice space, with hanging baskets and some art on the walls.

There were a few other meeting rooms in this building, and soon we were outside again, walking to the third building, a more wooden looking structure, much smaller than the other two buildings. "Research and development." She announced as we entered.

The building was one large lab space, and a couple of guys were working on something on a bench in the middle of the room. "This is where the guys like to get nerdy... You don't need to worry about it..." And with that she turned and lead me back out and across the yard to the main building. We walked into the admin office and I took a seat by her desk.

"There are a lot of people here." I prompted, trying to coax some conversation out of her. I was trying to distract myself from the guy who was staring at me. He was average height, and probably the most average guy I had ever seen, with short blonde hair in neat spikes. He was waiting for one of the girls to print him something. When he saw me looking he took it as a cue to come over and introduce himself.

"Hey I'm Mike, Mike Newton, you must be Isabella?" He smiled widely, and his eyes were bright.

"Call her Bella." Angela interrupted on my behalf. She went back to her keyboard, checking emails.

"So, used to the rain yet?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You get used to this?" I asked with a withering smile.

"Maybe after a few decades."

"Oh great." That was all I needed.

"So where are you living Bella?" he asked, perching on the corner of Angela's desk. He wasn't going to leave any time soon, was he?

"With my dad, until I can find a place. But I want to get settled here first."

"Oh well, yeah I totally get that." He said, fidgeting, realising he was outstaying his welcome. "Well I guess I'll see you later." He stood and left, then remembered he hadn't gotten his original printout and had to circle around for it.

Before I could form another thought, Esme appeared, and a few seconds later another girl came scurrying along to be by her side.

"This is Jessica, she's going to help you get used to the system. Your computer is ready." And with that she left. Jessica was a bag of nerves.

"Come on." She said as she turned and headed across the room. She was about my height, long curly sand coloured hair. She was what I would call pretty but not standout.

"Later." Said Angela, barely looking up as I stood and followed Jessica. I now noticed that all the other desks in the room were crowded with paperwork, photographs of family, trinkets from vacations, and the rest. We arrive at mine, which was a blank desk with a keyboard, a mouse and a monitor. Oh and an in tray.

"Don't get used to that being empty." Jessica pointed at my in tray. She moved my mouse and the screen fired up. "So, how do you like Forks so far Isabella?" She asked. Her demeanour was friendly and approachable. Lucky for her, because I was already sick of correcting people on that front.

"Ask me in a few days, I only got here last night." I said. "Oh, and please, call me Bella."

She smiled. "And call me Jess." Great. I hadn't actually called her Jessica, but at least we shared that. She tapped a few keys and opened some windows, then proceeded to explain some of the systems I would be using. It was very heavy looking, and I was wondering what I was getting myself into, but I hoped that was just me getting used to new things. Surely my last job was just as daunting on the first day.

"Looks like there's a lot to learn." I said, sitting in a chair Jess had rolled over for me. She was into what she was showing me, and doing a good job of it too.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll pick it up ok." She handed me a booklet she had brought with her. "This is the rule book. Read it but don't worry, I wont test you on it."

I took it and flipped though it as she continued to cycle through various screens. I hoped I would take it all in. Then she noticed the time.

"Oh wow, check it out, almost Lunch hour." She said standing. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, did you bring any food?"

I shook my head. "I didn't have time to buy anything."

"That's ok, you can get something in the quad." She stood and took off, giving Mike another chance to come over.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"I think some of it is the same as my old place... I hope anyway." I gave a weak laugh.

"What are you doing after lunch?"

I consulted my schedule which Esme had left on my desk. "Says here I'm in engineering for the afternoon."

He made a face. "Oh. Who with?"

I looked again. "Some guy called Ed Cullen?" He did not look pleased.

"Oh, ok, well c'mon, let's go to lunch." Jess was on her way back to us, with a look of freshly fixed makeup about her. It looked like she was maybe trying to impress someone.

I followed them down the hall, Angela joining us and another girl with short black hair who didn't speak to me. We walked out into what was now free falling rain and almost ran across the paved part of the car park to the engineering building. The quad was quite full when we got there, and I put some cash into a machine and got myself a sandwich and a can of soda. I sat with my new friends at a picnic table in the middle of the area, where we had joined some others to make a large group of nattering people.

I was happy to sit in silence, listening to the shifting topics of conversation. Something kept coming up about a trip to the beach at La Push, which I remembered as being more of a pebble beach than a real beach like the ones I had visited in California.

My wandering eye came across a set of pale faces, five of them. They seemed familiar. But most noticeable was how good looking they were. Three guys and two girls sitting together at a table a little apart from the general hustle and bustle. I could see a large guy, dark hair, big muscles. He must spend a lot of time in the gym I thought. He was next to a blonde, very pretty in a classical kind of way. There was a guy with shoulder length blonde hair falling in rockstar curls, and on his lap was a tiny waif of a girl with short black hair and big eyes. And the fifth, maybe the most beautiful man I had seen, ear length reddish brown hair which was scruffy but in the kind of way that looked as if he could have just stepped out of a makeup trailer. They were all looking in various directions, like posing models.

I caught Jess' attention. "Who are they?" I asked.

"Who?.. Oh." She giggled."That would be the Cullen's."

"Oh, any relation to Esme?" I asked thoughtfully pulling a slice of onion from my sandwich.

"Sure, And Carlisle. The big guy, the small girl and the guy with the red hair, they are Cullen's, the other two are Hale's. They all live together or something. I don't know, they stick together. Don't really interact with anyone they don't have to."

Oddly, when she mentioned the word 'Cullen' the one with the red hair looked up like he had heard his name. Strange.

"So the Cullen's are Emmet, Alice and Edward with the red hair." He looked up again, now with a quizzical look in his dark eyes. "The Hale's are Jasper and Rosalie." She said the last name with what I would call an audible scowl. Their eyes were very dark, big black circles accented by their pale skin.

"Are they, I don't know, together?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, Emmet and Rose, Jasper and Alice."

"What about Edward?" I asked, suddenly realising I would be spending the next hour with him.

"Oh no he's single. I think. Like I said, they keep to themselves."

I just nodded, gazing at his sculpted face, chiselled chain and entrancing eyes. Wow. He wore a short sleeved shirt and a red tie which was not very neat, despite the fact that it looked like it came from somewhere expensive.

"So are when are you house hunting?" Jess asked, snapping me out of my trance.

"Well I was going to give it a week of living with Charlie, just to make sure I don't hate the job and want to move back to Phoenix." I replied, draining the soda.

"Well let me know when you're ready and I'll help you out." She offered. "So most of us are going to a bar after work... well I say 'a' bar, it's actually the only one in Forks, but it's not too terrible, interested?" I caught a glimpse of Mike who was now paying attention to us.

"Oh, you know, I'm beat already. Yesterday was a long day, and I need some sleep, but count me in another day." I was flattered to be invited out so soon.

"Ok, we go there most nights. It's not like there's much else to do in town." She looked around the table, but before she could jump into another conversation there was a high whistle.

"Oh, time to go back." She said. I followed her back to our office and took my seat, noticing that my desk was next to Angela and opposite Mike. How did I not notice that earlier?

Esme appeared at my desk a moment later. "So how was the morning with Jess?" She asked, smiling warmly.

"It was good. A lot to pick up though." I pulled a face.

"Ready to go meet the engineers?" She clasped her hands together.

"Sure" I said, hopping to my feet. I was wearing flats, as I always did for fear of breaking my neck, and I was glad, for it seemed I would be walking a lot.

I followed her back out, the rain still falling steadily, but she was smart enough to pick up an umbrella on her way out. We went into the engineers office and approached Edward.

"Ok, This is Edward, he's my son, and I'm sure he can tell you everything about what we do in here." She turned and walked out, leaving me standing by his desk.

"Hello." He whispered, pulling a chair to his side and motioning for me to sit. His eyes were very dark, like holes. Up close he was difficult to look at, his beauty being so powerful. Despite them being so dark his eyes were fiery and there seemed to be a lot going on behind them. I sat, and put my eyes on his screen, seeing a technical drawing that I could not understand. He didn't seem happy.

"So, what do you do, Edward?" I asked timidly.

"I draw up the schematics." he said quickly. This was going to be hard. "Let me take you through a job."

He told me what he did, his voice low and even. I could tell he really didn't want to be doing this, and after an hour he told me that was it. He fluidly stood and was out the door very quickly leaving me to sit for a moment. I stood and walked back to the admin office.

To my surprise I saw Edward standing in Esme's office when I was back in the room, and he did not look happy. He was obviously arguing with his mother about something, and she was not relenting. I had a strange feeling that he was not happy about my presence.

I sat back down and wondered what might be next for the day. Would Esme fire me because her son didn't like me for no apparent reason? I started to randomly click windows.

Jess appeared at my side again. "Come on, I'm showing you more stuff next."

I went and sat by her at her desk which was covered with pictures of family and friends. I couldn't see any of her with men though. "Do you live alone?" I asked.

"Yeah, just waiting for the right guy." She said dreamily.

"You never know, you might already know him." I could see Mike checking us out again. Or was it just me he was checking out? "Ever thought about getting a flatmate?"

"You know, it would help pay the bills." She had a thoughtful look. "I'm going to think about that one."

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking at forms and taking a trip across to the sales office where I sat with Mister Cullen (He told me to call him Carlisle) who was a very nice, well spoken man. His skin and eyes were much the same as his family, but unlike his son he was warm and friendly.

When I picked up my things and headed for my truck at five I had almost forgotten what my truck even looked like. It didn't take me long to remember what it sounded like though, the roar ringing out across the carpark, turning heads all the way. I kept my head down, trying to hide behind my hair as I drove slowly out and onto the road.

When I got to Charlie's the cruiser was already outside. He was in the living room watching football on TV.

"Bella, is that you?" He called.

"Yeah dad, it's me." I said, hanging my coat and handbag in the hall.

"How did it go?" I walked into the room fully to talk to him. He had a takeout menu on the chair next to him. "You want Chinese?"

"Yeah, ok, get me noodles?" I said. "And it was good. I was worried to start with, but it seems pretty easy."

"Good. you make any friends?"

"Yeah a few nice people, listen dad, can you call the food in, I'm going for a shower." He nodded and I took off upstairs and got freshened up. By the time I went back downstairs in sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt I felt clean and happy, but tired. And the food had just arrived.

We sat on the sofa eating from the foil containers. "Dad?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he took a sip of beer.

"Do you know the Cullen's?" I asked innocently.

"That's a good question, seeing as you're working for them?" He pointed out.

"Yes, I noticed that. But what are they like, as people?"

"Well as far as this town goes, they are great." He seemed to be getting a little defensive. "Carlisle's business is one of the best employers in this town, and as far as Im concerned there would be a lot of jobless people without them." He was breathing heavily. "And people still treat them like outsiders? Well thats just stupid."

"Ok dad..." I said, and that was pretty much the end of that one. We ate in silence.

I cleared away the trash and made my way to bed, falling onto the mattress with a thud. The rain had picked up again, and it was hammering on the roof. With the light off and the clouds so dense the room was quite dark. Eventually I coaxed myself to sleep, fighting off thoughts of the day. However, I was not prepared for my dream in any way...

But I don't need to tell you who I dreamed about that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, I'll admit it's a little strange that I should dream about a guy I spent an hour sat next to. Especially when that guy acted like a jerk and made me feel like I was back in high school. I mean, come on, I thought I was past all of this, you know? College helped to bring me out of my shell, and my old workmates had become almost like family, very easy to be around.

Anyway, I digress, the dream was pretty cryptic, lots of being chased down dark alleys by shadowy figures, but when the danger seemed to peak, each time Edward Cullen appeared and I would feel safe. I can't say I was happy about this, but what can you do? Dreams are normally just our subconscious amplifying our anxieties anyway, so I figured what the hell, it probably didn't mean anything anyway.

For some reason I had chosen to give myself some extra time in the morning, setting the alarm an hour early. I was not impressed with myself when it went off. Sure, I snoozed a little but then I remembered why I had set it so early and got up.

I staggered into the bathroom, unsure as to why I felt so tired. I must have slept better because I had so many freaky dreams. My head was pounding so I popped a couple of Tylenol and brushed my teeth. Then I set about my hair, attacking the mess first with a brush and then with my straighteners. I opened up my makeup bag and went a little heavier than usual. Not too slutty, but enough, if you know what I mean. At one point I caught my own eye and questioned my motives, but then decided it would be best if I didn't ask myself questions and followed my instincts.

I went back to my room and pulled on a skirt that flowed just past my knees, a blouse and a blazer. Then I went and had my breakfast. It seemed I was wise to give myself the extra time because I was in danger of running late. Charlie was gone, and the house was quiet, so I took a granola bar from the cupboard and left, in my flats of course. No point going to all this trouble to ruin it by ending up on my ass.

The morning was cold and dark, a light rain was swirling in the air, creating a mist in my headlights. When I got to my desk the office wasn't exactly deserted, but I was certainly not the last one in. The morning passed fairly quickly, with Mike bugging me often. It seemed the extra effort was working on him. I hoped it would be as effective on it's intended target.

Maybe it was because I was better rested, or because I was less nervous, but I was finding the work quite easy. I had been thrown in at the deep end a little, and was asking a lot of questions but Jess was always happy to come over and help. That is, if she could get there before Mike.

Then, the moment I had been waiting for. Lunchtime. I followed my companions out and across to the quad, picked up my sandwich and soda and took my seat, throwing my eyes around, looking for him. Well, there were his family, right were they should be, but Edward was not with them. Where could he be? Bathroom still? He did look like he spent a lot of time in front of a mirror.

About fifteen minutes passed and still he didn't show. And the worst part was that I seemed to be getting even more attention than yesterday. Oh my god, why did I bother? I could have had an extra half hour in bed at least.

Around the half hour mark I gave up. It was obvious he wasn't here. I didn't really want my sandwich now, but I made the effort to eat it. I did not make the effort, however, to pull the onion off today. I saw no reason to bother.

"So I was thinking about what you said yesterday." Jess pulled me back to planet Earth with a thud. "And I think it would be pretty cool to have a flatmate. It sure would help with the bills." She smiled at me widely. Wow, I had know this woman for a day and a half and she was ready to let me come and lie with her? Ok, cool.

"Are you guys going to the bar tonight?" I asked. I figured I ought to rid myself of the dreams tonight.

"Yeah, I think so." She turned to Angela. "Hey Ange, are we going to Blakeslee's tonight?"

Angela nodded, and Mike was all over it. "We missed you last night Bella, would be nice to see you there." Wow, way to come on strong, guy I just met yesterday.

"Ok, I guess I'll come and have one with you guys." I said, trying to lift myself from what was becoming a downwards spiral. Why in the hell was I all depressed about this anyway? What was this, some kind of schoolgirl crush? Grow up.

In the afternoon Jess showed me how to view the company in/out board. And there it was, in black and white.

Cullen, Edward - Out of the office. Return - ?

I asked Jess what that meant.

"Oh the Cullen's spend quite a lot of time out of the office. Edward and Emmet tend to go and look at a lot of sites together, Jasper and Alice go out meeting customers, Rose goes to marketing seminars and whatnot, and we don't question the boss and his wife..." She gave me a sly wink.

"So he'll be back tomorrow?" I asked.

"Probably, but one never can tell." She gave me a knowing look. Oh, I guess she was on to me. Well I didn't exactly try and hide it, did I?

The afternoon dragged and eventually it was quitting time. I drove home, changed into some jeans and a sweater and followed Jess's directions on foot to the bar. Blakeslee's wasn't much more than a small wooden building, the kind you see in movies where trucker fights happen, but it was in walking distance of most places in Forks, so I guess it served ok.

The group from our office was quite loud and rowdy, but I must admit it was fun to hang out with them. My old work friends were more like big city hipsters, and they would have scoffed at us hanging in what they would perceive as a redneck bar, but to be honest the bar was empty except for us, so it didn't really matter.

Mike tried to move next to me a few times, but each time I gave Jess or Angela a 'help me' look and they ran interference for me. I was grateful for that. It also made me think twice about hitting the tequila too hard. that would be a bad idea.

A large plate of sharing nachos, a couple of jugs of ale and a round of shots later and I was ready for calling it a night. The air outside was cold, and I was glad I had picked up my waterproof jacket before leaving. It made the short walk home at least a bit less damp for me.

When I got in Charlie was still up, engrossed in baseball. He seemed to be drinking a lot, as in every time I saw. I made a mental note to keep a check on this. I sat by him for a while before going to bed, each of us occasionally breaking the silence with questions about our day. I told him I was finding the job quite easy. If it panned out like this I would be quite happy. He told me he had cautioned a couple of kids down at the general store for trying to shoplift liquor. All in all, I think we both had pretty dull days.

When I was happy that he was mentally stable, and that the break up hadn't wrecked his brain too badly I said goodnight and headed upstairs to get ready. I vowed not to use the straighteners again until it was absolutely necessary because it took me the best part of a half an hour just to brush out my hair.

When I was cleaned up and comfortable I hit the hay, confident that I had enough booze in me to dampen any silly dreams I might have that night.

Oh poor foolish me.


	3. Chapter 3

Two whole months passed like nothing. Well, when I say nothing I am, of course, lying. Quite a lot of things happened, but I'm fairly sure you wouldn't be very interested in them

First and foremost, it rained. A lot. Almost every day. It rained so much I began to wonder just how in the world anything could grow here. Sure plants and trees need water, but I always thought sunshine was a vital ingredient too.

I became very comfortable with the job. It wasn't overly taxing, and I was starting to feel very comfortable with my colleagues. So much so that I moved in with Jess during the third week. Ever since I had mentioned her getting a flat mate she had been coming up with reasons I should go and live with her. On the first Friday after work I followed her to her place. where we ordered Thai, drank lots of wine and watched girly movies all night. It was a fun evening, and I really enjoyed being there. The house was similar to Charlie's, a two bedroom one bathroom affair, but I got the impression Jess was somewhat lonely in there. That was understandable. She told me she had moved in with a guy a few years earlier, but he had left after only a few weeks, and she had lived on her own ever since.

When I told Charlie I was moving out I had been apprehensive, expecting the worst, but he was genuinely cool with it. I think he was finding life with me rather uncomfortable, which is understandable. A grown man living with his fully grown daughter? Jess's house was less then a five minute walk and I promised I would check in with him often, so it was really the best case scenario for him.

The move wasn't difficult. I hadn't accumulated much stuff in three weeks so I was able to get everything over there in two trips, and that included hauling my bed into and out of the back of my truck.

Once I was moved it look little time to settle. We both liked much of the same food, TV and music, so we got on very well. Jess already had a rota which she used to force herself to do the housework, and integrating myself into that was not hard. Within a week we were already like an old married couple.

The trips to Blakeslee's became a habit. Most weeknights were quite steady. We would only drink a few while playing pool and chatting about our days. Then Jess and I would walk home and get something to eat. Weekends were a different matter though. The Friday night trip to Blakeslee's would often get quite rowdy. The place became full very quickly and the volume cranked up immediately. Saturday was band night so we would go and watch the only band in town, 'Angle's Bark'. Being a band out here must have been tough as there was only one place to play, but they were appreciated. They were also quite good.

But the most notable thing about those two months was the fact that Edward Cullen never showed up for work. Not once. Word spread that he was working in Europe, and various theories were developed, but I must admit I tried my best not to concern myself with thoughts of what he was doing. Well, I tried, and I failed. I still kept having the dreams, and that was annoying. A long day in the office would pass. I would make my daily trip to engineering where I would discuss work with the guys in there. His seat was empty and his desk was clear. Every day. It almost looked like the desk was unoccupied except for the Cubs mug which sat untouched by his keyboard.

His family never mentioned him, and the only discussion about him amongst the rest of us was whispered rumour. I stayed quiet on the matter.

Then I would go to the bar with my friends, socialise and have a few drinks. After going home and eating I would go to bed with a little music on in my headphones to try and distract my mind. It never worked. He was always there in the shadows of my mind, lingering, just waiting for the right moment. Some nights he would stay there, watching and waiting. Other nights he would be more prominent, silently interacting with people in the dream.

It was Monday morning. Jess woke me in her usual way, by throwing my towel at me. This had become an agreed tradition. Visiting the bar made getting up more difficult and I needed the help. That Sunday had been a big one for the Mariners, and so Blakeslee's had been full of sports fans, all drinking and talking sports while watching the big screen. I had no interest in the game, but the atmosphere was great fun. Less so on Monday morning.

By the time I crawled into the bathroom Jess was already showered and dressed, and by the time I was showered and dressed she had a tray of bacon cooked. Having a flatmate was awesome. I made a mental note to repay the favour.

I drove to work as I often did, and we took our seats still gossiping about the actions of one Mike Newton the previous evening. The emotion of the game had gotten to him and he had broken down into tears. We planned to harass him about this.

By the time lunch came around I was feeling human. Mike had recovered and wasn't bright red anymore as we made our way through the mist to the quad. Finally I was in the habit of making packed lunches so I didn't need to buy anything. I sat in my usual spot with my usual friends and ate my usual ham sandwich, casually glancing around the room.

I stopped dead. He was back. I had grown so accustomed to his absence that seeing him sitting with his family was something of a shock. Great. This would make my afternoon visit to engineering interesting. I retreated into my shell that lunchtime. The others were too busy talking about the possibility of the beach trip to notice. Well, actually it had become a debate. Some wanted to visit the beach, others argued that a visit to La Push should involve the casino. I had no preference, but I would be going, that was for sure.

My routine had become visiting the engineers straight after lunch to collect any work they needed doing and discuss anything I was having trouble with. I went straight to their office after the whistle blew. When I walked in Edward motioned me over.

"Please, sit." He said, pointing to the chair by his side. His voice was silky smooth, and I found myself obeying. The moment I sat I wondered why I had followed the instruction without even thinking about it.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked, shuffling a folder I had picked up on my way into the office.

"Well, it's my first day back and I have a lot to get through." He said quietly, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. His face was so perfect this close. I had forgotten how amazing he looked. I could also be mistaken but I thought his eyes were different. More of a light brown, maybe? Or even gold.

"Where have you been?" I asked innocently.

"I can't really say." His eyes narrowed and his voice was cold, but he melted very quickly. "But I see you seem to have settled well?"

"It's easy when you have good people around you." I said, pointedly. I was suddenly quite angry again, remembering how he had made me feel that first day.

"Look," he started, "I'm sorry about your first day here. I was an ass, and I should know better."

"It was a tough day, but I'm over it." I said.

"So how are you liking life in Forks?"

"I miss the sun." I gazed across the office at a picture of a beach scene. Oh to be there.

"What made you move here?" he asked, his buttery voice coaxing the words to flow from my mouth.

"Well Charlie, my dad, split up with his second wife. I came up here because he has no family up here. I can't say I like the place but someone needs to be here for him."

He smiled. "That's very selfless of you."

I nodded sagely. "Yeah, well, I'm that kind of person."

"Did you not worry about your career?" he asked, looking at me in an almost confused way.

"Not really. I got an office job to pay the bills. I studied art in college."

"You never do anything with that?" He asked, taking a sip from that Cubs mug that had sat unused for so long.

"I wish I could but I never have time. Anyway I'm better at critique than I am at creating." I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under his scrutiny, and I was thinking I should get back to my desk. Not that I wanted to, I felt like I could do this all day, and I didn't really know why. "Did you get new contacts while you were away?" I asked, the words jumping out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"No." He snapped. Obviously not something he wanted to discuss then. "You better go..." he said suddenly, standing and handing me a folder of papers. "Give me a call if you get stuck."

I just nodded and turned tail, fleeing the scene as fast as I could. I made my way back through the mist and sat in my chair. My screen was blurry thanks to the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I decided tonight would be a tequila night. Probably against my better judgment.

A few good hours and a few good tequilas later I was laying on my bed, music blasting into my skull, trying not to think of the only thing that wanted to be at the front of my mind. The beautiful man, and his smouldering golden eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

So most of the time, living with Jess was nothing but fun, but there were some moments when she drove me crazy in the same way that I'm sure I drove her crazy from time to time. The following morning was one of those times where she excelled herself and made me actively contemplate murder. I should have known things were not going to end well when she didn't leave with me.

I had the worst night's sleep imaginable. To be honest I had found no difficulty in sleeping in my new home, which was probably why it was such a major issue for me that morning. I could even say I had been enjoying some regular, if not alcohol assisted sleep, so when I finally nodded off only to be awoken by my alarm what felt like five minutes later was not the most helpful of things. I was downright cranky from the off. Which probably set me up quite nicely for what came next.

I headed into the bathroom in my undies and nightshirt (an old T-Shirt a boyfriend in Phoenix had given to me with a large cardinal head on it.) only to find the door closed. This was most unusual. Jess would normally be downstairs by now. My autopilot kicked in and made the assumption that she must have pulled it closed by mistake when she left. Anyway, she wouldn't be in there. We had an agreement that if the bathroom was in use we would leave the door open a crack. That would allow the other person to not only hear the running shower or whatever, but they could also talk without yelling.

I turned the handle and ploughed in, only to see a naked male form directly in front of me. Mike was just getting out of the shower and was reaching for a towel. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the cheeky smile and the little wink he gave me. No effort to cover up at all.

Needless to say I fled back to my room and slammed the door. Great. Not only did I now know what he looked like naked (it's worth mentioning at this point that he had been hitting on me in an increasingly less subtle manner for weeks now,) but I also could make the simple assumption that he had stayed the night with Jess. That was great in one respect, because it meant he might just move his affections away from me, but it was also a bad thing because it would no doubt mean I would soon be losing my best friend. And that was not good.

I gave him a good ten minutes before I tried again, finding the bathroom thankfully empty. My prep time had been drastically cut, and I didn't really want to be late for work so I rushed my way through my routine and hurried downstairs, probably looking like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards. To my horror there he was, sitting at the kitchen table, smirking at me.

"Morning Bella..." He beamed.

"Mike." I glowered at him. "Jess." I slumped into a chair at the table where Jess was just plopping some eggs onto a plate for him. I opened a granola bar and started to munch slowly. Grinding my teeth as I did.

"So, uh, Bella, guess what?" Said Jess as she took the third and mostly unused seat.

"Oh I don't know, did aliens land?" I said sarcastically.

She ignored me, smiling uncontrollably. "Mike and I hooked up last night..." Oh my god they were holding hands. For gods sake get a room.

"Great." I said in a monotone voice.

"I told you she'd be excited!" Jess grinned at Mike, making a kissy face. I felt like I might vomit.

"So Bella," Mike started, "La Push, what do you think? Beach or casino?" Really?

"Do they serve tequila at the beach?"

His smile faded into confusion. "Uh, not that I know of..."

"In that case, Casino." I snapped, finishing my bar and standing. In fairness my anger was starting to fade but now I was kind of embarrassed by my own actions. "I'll be in the car."

With that I grabbed my jacket and purse and walked outside to my truck. I noticed his car was nowhere to be seen, which meant he would no doubt expect a ride. Great.

I sat listening to local radio for about five minutes until Mike appeared. He bounded down the drive and jumped in the passenger side. "Hey, so Jess forgot her coat, she'll be right out."

"Mmm Hmm." I kept my face neutral.

"So, uh, we missed you after you left." Oh what, really? One wasn't enough now you wanted the other?

"Yeah? Did you stay out late?" I feigned interest.

"A little after midnight. There was some pretty crazy karaoke." I certainly made the right call in leaving when I did.

"Cool." I forced a smile.

"So, ah, are you out tonight?" Was that a general invitation, or was he hitting on me again? I swear I was losing track.

"I don't know Mike, it depends on how shitty my day is." I almost growled.

"Oh ok." He lost interest in me, seeing Jess coming down the drive. He made an effort to slide away from me a little. Guilty conscience much?

We drove to work with the radio turned up loud enough that I didn't have to converse. Maybe that was rude, but I didn't care. I still wasn't overly impressed with them and I wanted them to know it. Although I was starting to wonder why I was so pissed off. It was really misty on the road, even more so than the previous day, and my headlights were just bouncing back off the wall of bright grey a few feet in front of me. Thanks to this I had to drive at something of a crawl.

When we finally arrived at the office it was shrouded in thick mist. I took up a parking space and the three of us walked into the office together. There was a little muttering when we all appeared together and I feared the worst. But it was all good. Most of the office had been there to see Mike and Jess smooching during a slow dance which was being murdered by Eric and Sheila from accounts.

I fired up my pc and checked my in tray, which was overflowing as usual. There was something from Engineering that needed doing but I was still not happy with those guys. Their work would have to wait. A more interesting prospect was a requisition from someone in the factory for a new t-shirt.

I hadn't really interacted with the shop floor guys very much as of yet. It was only a small factory really, about twenty guys all wiring control panels and the like, but they beavered away and I didn't have a lot of need to go see them. The site guys were a different story, always on the phone needing hotels or equipment, but I won't bore you with the details.

I checked the requisition form for the size and colour and picked a shirt still in its wrapper off a shelf at the back of the office, and made my way back outside. It was very foggy out now, so much so that I couldn't really see any of the other buildings. My mind was stuck on the events of the morning anyway, and I was quite glad to be out of the office, away from Mike and his smug look and Jess and her girlish excitement. I noticed a figure over in the direction of the engineering office slowly heading my way, and also a couple of people heading from my office across the yard towards engineering. I couldn't be sure, but I thought one was Angela and the other Esme. As I moved along I could just about make out the other figure could have been Edward.

Then there was a deafening beeping sound. Somehow a forklift had appeared out of the mist about three feet away from me. It was carrying a huge wooden drum of cable at head height, and as it honked its horn it skewed, the brakes catching on the concrete. The forklift managed to avoid me by about a foot, but it overbalanced and it's load toppled, hitting the ground and rolling quickly in my direction. The drum was about as tall as me on its end, and it was suddenly coming too fast for me to get out of the way.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the end. Or at best to wake up in a hospital bed. Neither came. There was a loud crunch, and I opened my eyes. The drum was laying on it's side, part of it was smashed. Edward Cullen was standing so close he was almost touching me. He had somehow gotten from where he was, maybe ten to twelve feet away to me in a split second. That was odd. Also odd was the act that he seemed un hurt by the wood. There were splinters and fragments on the ground, and the drum really was in bad shape, but he was fine.

I dropped to my knees, suddenly quite cold. I couldn't stop shaking. I almost died. I mean, really died. Shock was starting to take over.

Esme and Angela were next to arrive. Esme told Angela to go get a first aider. Then a few more people appeared and before I knew it I was surrounded.

Slowly I was lifted to my feet and walked back across to my office, where Edward and Esme led me into the small first aid room. Angela arrived a few seconds later with none other than the top man, Carlisle.

"Sorry I got here as fast as I could." He said.

I burst out laughing. Probably another effect of the shock. "You're a first aider?" I blurted out. He really was handsome close up. I hadn't spent any time with hum yet, and this was as close as I had been.

"Of course. I like to take care of all of my employees." He said seriously. Then he sent away everyone except for Edward.

"Bella, how do you feel? Cold? Nauseous?" He asked, looking at me very closely. Edward just skulked around in the corner.

"I think I'm ok." I said. The shivering had stopped and I was not cold anymore. "Really."

"Ok, you just seem a little shaken up, which is understandable, that was a close one I hear."

I just nodded.

"Well I want you to stay here for a while, until you feel more like yourself. Edward will stay with you." He turned to Edward. "If she changes in any way, call me."

Edward nodded and turned his intense eyes onto me. This wasn't fair. I was in a state of shock and I was left alone with him?

"Just call if you need anything." Said Carlisle as he left the room. I just sat there staring at the wall for a while, acutely aware of the presence in the room.

"What happened back there?" I asked.

"You almost got crushed." He replied, his face cold, but his eyes burning.

"You were nowhere near me. How did you get there so fast?" I asked, replaying the event in my head.

"No, I was right by your side. Lucky I was too, that driver needs to keep a better eye on where he is going." Was that a smile? Was he actually mocking me right now? Oh lucky for him I was unsure if I was even still alive.

"I know what I saw Edward. Don't try and tell me otherwise."

"So what do you think you saw?" Now he was smiling. That wasn't too infuriating.

"I saw you across the yard. I saw the drum coming for me, then I saw the drum all smashed up, and not a scratch on you." He suddenly dropped the smile and glowered at me.

"Oh." he said coldly. "But you're in shock."

"Don't try to bullshit me Edward, I may have been shaken up back there but I'm fine now, better than fine actually." I felt a little hyper. Was this the adrenaline kicking in? It felt like that time me and my college buddies streaked at a college baseball game.

He just stared at me, trying to keep his face unreadable.

"Edward, that was not a human thing to do. Either you're the flash, or you're on some serious drugs." He now smiled very widely.

"You think I'm the flash?" He was almost laughing.

"Or something like that."

"Do you realise how ridiculous that sounds?" His tome was patronising.

"So you admit to being on drugs then? Steroids? Crack? PCP?" Now he dropped the smile again.

"No." He said quickly.

"Well, Eddy Cullen, with your superhuman speed and hulk like strength, I'm going to figure out what you are." I was standing now, jabbing a finger into his chest with each word to accentuate each one.

"And how do you propose to do that?" He asked quietly, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Never you mind that. I'm ok now." And with that I stormed out of the first aid room and back to my desk. To my amazement it was actually lunch time, or more accurately it was almost the end of lunch time. I sat at my desk on my own and ate my sandwich, with the uneasy feeling of being watched. I turned and was sure I saw a shadowy figure vanish down the hall. Then my friends and colleagues returned, full of chatter.

Of course Jess was all over me within seconds, wanting to know what had happened. I of course left out the improbable parts. Almost crushed, Saved by Edward, all good now.

She told me the driver had been Tyler Crowley, a guy who worked in stores and lived in town. Apparently he felt terrible about the whole thing. That was something I saw firsthand later that afternoon when he appeared at my desk, apologising profusely. I told him time and time again that it was all good. No harm no foul, but he would not listen to me.

When the end of the day was nigh Jess asked what I wanted to do. I told her I couldn't face the bar after the day I had, that I would rather get a pizza and watch a movie. She decided that I should be supervised and excused herself from her plans with Mike. He seemed a little put out, but he would get over it.

That night was quite enjoyable, we watched a girly film and drank a bottle of white wine. The pizza was good, and we took down a tub of Hagen Daas between us.

When I went to bed Jess made sure I was ok, checking my pupils as directed by the website she had found on shock. When I passed her examination I dropped into bed, wondering how tomorrow could possibly get any worse.


	5. Chapter 5

Ok thanks for reading this guys. Hope you're having as much fun as I am. Let's get to it.

I actually did manage to get a decent nights sleep that night. Probably thanks to all the excitement of the previous day. It wasn't terribly late when we called it a night, and I hit the hay straight away, I know Jess had been face timing with Mike, because I could hear her making kissy noises when I walked by en route to the bathroom. I made a mental note to have a word with her about that. It was embarrassing for all parties, especially me.

When my alarm went off I felt quite fresh and jumped out of bed, instantly stubbing my toe on the dresser. So, it was going to be one of those days? I wasn't about to let a painful, possibly broken toe dampen my good mood today. I couldn't even explain my mood, so I didn't want to waste it.

Jess was still in bed when I was done with the bathroom so I went in her room and hollered at her to get the hell up. She tried to hide under the covers so I turned on her stereo at full blast. I didn't exactly appreciate the sounds of Kelly Clarkson so loud, but I knew she would do the same for me. I almost broke my neck exiting her room, tripping on her shoes. Honestly, who leaves their partying heels in the middle of their bedroom floor when they spent the night in?

I did the best I could with breakfast, slightly burning the bacon, but Jess was thankful. It turned out she had been up until the small hours chatting with Mike. I took this as a good sign, but the thought of him coming over often was less enjoyable. I would have to have a talk with him at some point.

The morning in the office passed without much major incident. When lunch time rolled around we took our daily stroll across the yard en mass, chatting about the trip to the Quileute Casino down at La Push. All thoughts of a trip to the beach had been put on hold, and I think the only person disappointed was Eric, because he had bought a new wetsuit and body board recently and wanted to try it out.

When we got to the engineering block I noticed a figure standing outside leaning against the wall. It was much less foggy today, so I could see that it was Edward. I wondered what he was doing loitering outside. When we were close enough he moved to my side.

"Hi Bella," He started, his voice silky and smooth. "Do you want to sit with me today?"

I was slightly taken aback to be honest. After the way he acted yesterday he wasn't exactly my favourite person in the world I decided to play it cool. "Maybe tomorrow." I said, without breaking my stride or even turning to face him. I could tell this surprised him because he fell behind a few steps. I couldn't help but smirk to myself, thinking he really wasn't the type to be used to a good rejection. Well, it was about time he learned.

When we sat Jess came in close and almost whispered in my ear, "What did Edward want?" she hissed.

"He asked me to sit with him." I hissed back.

She looked puzzled. "He never sits with anyone outside of his family." She paused. "Hell, I don't think I've ever seen him talk to anyone unless it's work stuff."

"Lucky me." I said, unsure of how I really felt about the situation. Sure he was so unbelievably good looking, but he was also a bit of a jerk, and I knew he was keeping something from me. Then and there I decided to get to the bottom of what his deal was. I would sit with him tomorrow and do what I could to find out his secret.

In the meantime I jumped back into the conversation. It turned out that we were going to the casino that Saturday, which was fine with me. I needed something to take my mind off the whole Edward thing. It didn't help that he kept looking at me from across the quad, his mouth bent into a funny sort of smile. I bet he used that on all the girls.

The rest of the day was fairly incident free. I dropped a box of paper on my foot, and smashed a glass at Blakeslee's, but that aside it was fairly normal.

I had noticed in the bar a few more people than usual. Some of the guys from the factory, I was sure I recognised them. I was standing with Angela, trying to eat a buffalo wing without wearing it. "Who are those guys Ange?" I asked.

"Well, that's Tyler, Jack and Andy from the factory." She said, discreetly pointing them out in turn.

"How come I never noticed them in here before?" I asked.

"They don't usually come in here, the factory guys like to stay at the other bar in town, but we don't like that place, there's too many truckers and bikers in the week."

I nodded sagely. "So what are they doing here tonight." I wondered out loud.

"Looks like Tyler is checking you out." She said casually.

I glanced up. Oh crap he was coming over. He had broken ranks and was making a move. Here we go.

"Hey, Isabella?" He started. Great start, really. Time to go for the kill.

"Bella." Angela said for me. She kept her eyes narrow and her mouth tight. I could have kissed her.

"Uh, ok, Bella." He corrected himself. "Listen, I'm so sorry about yesterday." He was sweating a little.

"Don't worry about it, I'm still alive." I waved a hand and smiled. Up close he wasn't bad looking, a bit rough and ready, if you like that kind of thing, in his trucker shirt and cap.

"How about you let me make it up to you?" He asked. "Buy you a drink?"

I held up my glass which I had just filled from my pitcher and smiled apologetically.

"Oh, ok, well, some other time then." He said, slinking off to his friends. I felt bad for him, but there was no way he was getting a pity date out of me. It was his fault, after all.

"That was so cool." Angela said when he was out of earshot.

I smiled broadly. "Thanks. He's cute, but not my type."

"What is your type?" She asked, forgetting about the wings and focusing fully on me.

"Uh, well, you know, uh," I stammered. Not entirely comfortable with the question. "You'll know it when I see it." I said quickly.

At that moment Jess, Mike, Eric and Lauren came back from the pool table to join us, Eric taking a wing and Lauren filling a glass from the pitcher, giving me a dirty look. I wasn't sure what that was all about. In all honesty I hadn't spoken to her much at all, despite her always being part of the group. I got the impression she didn't like me living with Jess, but she could suck it, I was happy there.

"What was that about?" Asked Mike, nodding towards Tyler and his friends.

"He wanted to 'make it up' to Bella." Said Angela, seductively.

"Shut up Ange." I said, giving her a playful shove. I noticed Lauren's stink eye was worse than ever. Lucky for me the rest of our group then appeared from the bar carrying another two pitchers.

The next few hours passed without major incident, just a lot of inane chatter, and bitching about people in the office. I decided to go play pool and the only taker on the offer of a game was Mike, who jumped at the chance.

We walked over and I racked up the balls while he dusted the cue.

"So, Looking forward to the casino?" He asked, lining up the break.

"Sure, I've never been." I replied, standing back watching him pot a couple of balls.

"It's fun, they have the usual stuff, but don't take too much money, don't want to lose it all." He gave me a knowing grin as he passed me the cue.

"That's ok, I tend to gamble responsibly." I said, sinking a few balls.

"So I was thinking," He said, taking the cue and lining up another shot. "Do you perhaps want to get coffee one night?" Wow, that was way out of left field.

"Uh, aren't you with Jess?" I asked.

"Oh, it's an on off thing." He said casually, accidentally potting the white.

"I don't think Jess sees it that way." I said slamming the white ball back onto the table angrily.

"Oh, really?" He asked. Christ guys were so blind sometimes.

"Yes really. She likes you Mike, a lot. In fact she didn't shut up about you all the way to work this morning." I cracked an aggressive shot and sent a ball flying off the table which he ran to retrieve.

"Oh... so..." He was struggling to find the right words.

"Look Mike, I'm flattered, really I am, but I'm not interested. And frankly I would hate myself if I helped you cheat on my best friend." I shoved the cue into his hand.

"Well, ok." He said. His face had gone rather pink.

"Don't be weird, ok?" I said watching him miss an easy shot.

"Yeah, ok." He said, slightly crestfallen.

"Cos I still want to be friends." I potted my last colour. "I like you Mike, but as a friend, ok?"

"Thats great Bella." He said. He would get over it, I could tell.

"Brilliant." I said, giving him a big radiant smile before sinking the black with a lucky shot. "Now lets get back to the others before all the wings are gone."

We sauntered back and joined the others. I could see Jess eyeing me suspiciously but she was satisfied when Mike went and embraced her.

I tried not to drink too much for the rest of the night, and was happy to get to bed not too much after midnight. I wanted to be fresh for the morning. I had a lot of work to do and I didn't mean office work.

I had a mystery to solve, and that mystery had reddish brown hair and the face of a greek god.


	6. Chapter 6

So my plan was quite simple and direct. I would go and sit with Edward at lunch time and I would find out what I needed to know. And thats about as far as it went.

I was in a good mood when I woke, and despite the deluge of dreams I had suffered through, I had actually slept quite well. The rain seemed to be holding off and the cloud celling was high and bright, casting the sky with a bulging silver appearance.

We were up early and out the door quickly because I wanted to see Charlie before work and give him some items I had bought the day before. Nothing serious, just bread and stuff. I had to make sure he wasn't trying to exist on a diet of pure canned beer. He was ok when I saw him, better than he had been for a while, quite talkative actually. I had to excuse myself and he seemed slightly disappointed at my leaving.

The morning passed quite slowly. I was worried, of course, that he wouldn't be asking me to join him today. Rejection could do strange things to a male ego, and through my life I had found that the more handsome the man, the more fragile the ego. But that leads me into a whole list of stories for another time.

When Mike and Eric stood and lead the way across the courtyard I had a small spring in my step. Thanks to the increased visibility I could clearly see Edward waiting on the opposite side of the courtyard, leaning against the wall casually like he was doing a photo shoot for casual menswear. As we approached he calmly moved away from the wall and started towards us. His eyes were fixed on mine, and I smiled and nodded. This confirmation caused him to twist his mouth into a crooked smile, and I could feel the tinge of blush in my cheeks.

"Shall we?" He asked, motioning towards the quad.

"Sure, why not?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but my heart racing at a million beats per minute made it hard to seem relaxed.

I followed him to a table near the wall, quite close to the one inhabited by his family. He watched me carefully as I took my sandwich and unwrapped it. He had no food with him at all.

"So..." He started awkwardly. "Alone at last."

"Yeah, sorry about yesterday, I had some things I needed to discuss with my friends." I smiled, taking a large bite of sandwich.

"That's ok, I have you now." He smiled.

"Yes, you do." I smiled and almost winked. Then the moment passed. Why didn't I wink? Oh silly me.

"So tell me, Bella, how do you like it here in Forks?" Really? he was going to lead with that?

"Well, Eddy Cullen, I find it a little too green for my liking." I smiled. "And wet. I'm more of a dry person."

We both chuckled at this. I suddenly became aware of Jess' stare. She was fixed on me and not eating or even talking to Mike. Oh great.

"Tell me something about yourself." He said in a low husky voice. That was the kind of voice that opened doors, and I could feel the words being pulled from my mouth before I could even formulate them.

"Uh, I went to Arizona state, and it was great?" I said. He started to laugh and I looked serious. "What?"

"Oh nothing. That rhymes." He smiled, but I could see he was keeping a wary eye on Jess who was still staring.

"Now you tell me something." He continued to smile, so I decided to just go for it. "What are you, Eddy Cullen, with your eyes that change colour and your speed and strength?" His expression changed in an instant. Suddenly he was completely serious.

"You don't want to know."

"On the contrary, I really do. You should know I love a good mystery." Now I winked.

"Then you must have a theory?" His tone was light, but his eyes were shining a deep honey colour. They were starting make me glad I was already seated.

"I watch a lot of movies, so I have a few ideas." I said quietly. Lead him in, get a response. He looked almost concerned. But mostly amused.

"Hit me with your best one?" He said, smiling confidently.

"Well, to be honest I'm still in the information gathering stage, but I would say you could be Bruce Wayne."

He laughed. "Batman didn't have any special powers." I knew that. Why didn't I think of that. It was just the rich exterior wasn't it.

"I guess I can cross Tony Stark off my list too then?" I laughed. He nodded happily. "Well then I guess I should run with my other theory, but you don't get to hear that yet."

"Why?" Now he looked concerned again.

"Because it's not a complete theory and I need more facts." I eyed him suspiciously.

"Ok, but take care. You know, you shouldn't really be spending time with me." He said, his voice serious again.

"Well, I can leave if you would like?" I made a motion as if to stand but he looked disappointed. I sat back down. "Or not."

"I would rather if you stayed." He said. "But that is just selfish."

"Well, Eddy Cullen, sometimes we need to be selfish." I sat back and took another bite of sandwich while he looked on curiously.

He was still keeping an eye on Jess, so I took a moment to look around. Right next to us were the rest of the Cullens, who were mostly looking off in random directions, so I took my chance to inspect them. The first and most striking thing was that they all had the same eyes. All dark gold with light hints of shadow underneath as if they were not sleeping terribly well. Strange that they should all have the same colouring.

I recognised them all of course from their various offices, but I never really had a chance to check them out before. There was Emmet, the big guy. He looked like a football player, huge square shoulders and chest straining at his shirt. Next to him was Rose, holding his hand like it was her most treasured possession. She was blonde and very striking, her pale skin making her eyes explode in the frame of her face. She was the kind of shape movie stars strived for, not stick thin, very much curvy and perfect in her knee length skirt and heels. Maybe a little too showy for my liking. Then there was Alice, small and dark haired, but still the same pale complexion. Her light skin was milky under her short black hair. Her eyes danced like flames. She smiled where none of the others did. Finally there was Jasper, curly golden hair to his ears, and the most serious of expressions. He was lithe and athletic looking, but also completely still and calm.

I turned my eyes back to Edward who was studying my face carefully. It felt like he was trying to read my expression, or maybe something deeper.

"So, I noticed you guys never come to Blakeslee's after work?" I asked casually.

"We don't really drink." He smiled knowingly.

"It's more about socialising." I pushed.

"I know." He said, smiling his awkward smile. Just then the whistle sounded and the quad was a bustle of movement. "I'll see you later, Bella." He didn't wink, but he may as well have done, his eyes dancing mischievously.

"Later." I agreed. "I'm going to find out what you are, Eddy Cullen." I tapped my temple. "Remember, I love a good mystery."

He held out his arms as he backed away. "Let me know when you have a viable theory." His smile was half condescending, half warm and inviting.

"Sure thing." I turned and walked with my friends back to my desk.

The afternoon passed with speed and before I knew it I was at the bar once again with my friends. Mike and Jess were ordering some food, so I was left sitting with Angela and a couple of other people from the office. Next to me was Leigh, a tall thin redheaded girl with thick glasses and a nasal voice. She was standoffish and a little rude when I first met her, but I had finally gotten her to warm up to me and found her to be very honest and loyal, And her sense of humour was so dry she cracked me up all the time. Opposite her was Tess, almost the polar opposite of Leigh, short with black curly hair and a loud voice. She was what you would call bubbly. I liked her because she tended to speak what was on her mind no matter what. Sure, she lacked tact sometimes, but it certainly made for some interesting situations. And awkward silences.

Sat next to her was Alex, a skinny guy with mousy hair which he overloaded with far too much product. I had noticed he was the only guy in our office not to give me the eye or pay me any such attention in that way. In fact he only started talking to me when I became part of the group. He was very conscious of the way he looked and he had the best dress sense of anyone at work who wasn't a Cullen. He was funny in a dark way, but always had an encouraging word for his friends, which was just as well, because he quite often had to try and clear up when Tess accidentally pulled someone down.

We were chatting about our day, mulling over some of the things wrong in the office. Leigh was pretty sure that the whole place was running at about fifty percent efficiency, but she claimed nobody wanted to listen to her. Thankfully she was interrupted from her impending tirade by Eric and Lauren who had just finished on the pool table. When he sat I noticed Eric was looking at me in a slightly odd way. Lauren was being her usual bitchy self where I was concerned, making a point of talking to everyone but me. One of these day I was going to confront her, but not today.

A few moments of chatter passed and Jess appeared, falling into the seat next to me, followed closely by Mike who perched on the arm of her chair.

"So, Saturday then." He started. It seemed any planning was kicked off by Mike. "Casino. Everyone good for it?"

There was a general nodding of heads. I was actually looking forward to getting out of Forks, even if it was only going to be for an evening. I could see that everyone else was excited about it too.

"How long since you guys last went out there?" I asked.

"About six months I think." Said Tess.

"Yeah, it's nice. They have everything you'd expect." Angela followed up.

"And it's legal, nice tricky land laws." Leigh finished, knowingly.

I nodded. "You know, I dont tend to gamble much." I confessed, trying not to sound to sheepish.

"Thats ok." Said Jess, "The bar there is really nice."

"So are the locals." Alex said dreamily. That sounded like experience talking right there.

"Be ready at one, I'll pick you guys up." Mike gestured towards Jess and I. We nodded. So that was that, the plans were set in stone. Great, hopefully it would be fun. And it should help take my mind off certain people whom I was determined not to spend every waking moment thinking about.

A while later Jess stood and picked up her bag. "Well, time to call it a night I think." She said, and started pulling on her jacket. Mike sprang to his feet to help her, and she looked just slightly uncomfortable at the attention.

I stood too and pulled on my coat and I caught sight of Eric getting to his feet. The four of us walked out into the cool night air. There was no rain and miraculously there wasn't even any moisture in the air. It was cool and crisp, the clouds blocking out any sign of the moon and stars. The light from the street lamps burst into orange halos.

I noticed Jess and Mike fell a few steps behind us, almost as if they were deliberately trying to give us some alone time. I realised what was happening. "Go on." I said calmly.

"What?" Eric asked, looking rattled.

"You want to ask me out, right?" I could feel an irritation building inside. What the hell? I mean having friends was one thing, but to have all the guys hit on me? Please, what was I some kind of carnival goldfish?

"Uh, we.. Uh, yeah?" He croaked. I could tell he wasn't overly happy with the situation he found himself in. Things were obviously not going to plan for him. I knew Eric, and I knew he liked to plan and then stick to the plan. When the plan fell apart, so did he.

"Listen Eric..." I started but he cut me off.

"Coffee!" He blurted out. "We could get a cup sometime?" He smiled a sweet smile which only served to make me feel worse about what I was about to say.

"Eric, I like you, a lot." He smiled, but then realisation hit him and the smile faded. "But as a friend." He nodded. "You're a great friend, and I don't want you to stop being that." Now he just looked downright dejected. "So, let's stick to that, shall we?"

"I, uh, yeah, ok." he mumbled. He didn't look completely devastated.

"I mean, I'm flattered, I am, really, but let's not change things, ok?" I smiled.

"Sure." He said, looking a little more upbeat.

"Listen, have you asked Ange out yet?" I asked. The other two were still hanging back out of earshot.

"No." He said shaking his head like it had never occurred to him. What was with these people.

"Ok, that's my tip to you. Talk to her tomorrow, see what happens." He was smiling broadly.

Then we were outside our house. I said goodnight to Eric, and Mike invited himself in. I still felt quite crabby about being so chaste, so I excused myself and went to bed, leaving them to do whatever they were doing on the couch. I sat on that couch, so it was best not to think about it.

I lay in bed letting the irritation work its way out of my system. Actually, there was another feeling building in me, one of pride. You know, being the object of affection of all the guys in town was quite the ego boost.

All the distractions of the evening had served their purpose to make me forget about Edward Cullen. Until I snapped off the light and closed my eyes, taking the plunge into my dreams, where he was waiting for me.


	7. Chapter 7

First thing in the morning I could feel a strange kind of warmth on my eyelids. Also a bright red was flooding my eyes. I slowly fluttered them open to be blinded by the shaft of pure sunlight flooding through the window. I really wished I had gone with my gut and bought some curtains.

I had a spring in my step that morning, and nothing was going to keep me down. I should have been wary when I spilled the contents of my makeup bag all over the bathroom floor, or when I noticed the toiled roll tube was empty, much too late. But no, nothing was going to bring me down today. I was going to sit down at lunch time and I was going to grill that guy like he had never been grilled before. I needed answers, and he was going to give them to me.

I had decided I should fight fire with fire. I told Jess about my plan (without mentioning any of the weird stuff) and she thought I was after ensnaring Edward. I could live with that. In actual fact it was at least half true anyway. She jumped at the chance of helping me out.

Before I even had time to object I was driving the truck in a pair of borrowed heels and a skirt way shorter than any I owned. I had objected at the time, but she simply wouldn't hear of it. I had a terrible feeling that this was all going to go horribly wrong, but to be truthful the sunshine was so helpful to my mood I think I would have gone along with anything that day.

If I thought driving in Jess's heels was tough, then walking in them was even worse. Plus I felt like my head was scraping the ceiling. I made a conscious effort to stay sat at my desk for as long as possible.

The sunshine had brought out the short sleeves and the skirts, and even though it wasn't exactly warm outside everyone was acting like it was high summer. The mood was light everywhere, and that suited me fine because I was right there with everyone else, even if I had different motives.

I should have checked the in/out schedule on the computer though. It would have saved me a little embarrassment. I spent part of the morning fighting off glances from Eric, Mike and pretty much every guy who came in the office be it from other departments or from the factory. In fact when Tyler came in to collect some paperwork he spent a good few minutes gawking at me. He was still apologising every single time he saw me, and I was getting a bit sick of it. He was a nice enough guy it seemed, but he also had no idea of the concept of personal space.

Skilfully I sidestepped his advances and made my way out past him to the restrooms. After hiding out for a while I returned to my desk and he was gone. I would need to remember that technique for another time.

Lunchtime approached and Jess was looking more anxious with every passing second. She would try and busy herself with some work, then look up at me, make a face, give me a thumbs up and go back to her monitor, re-starting the cycle. She had told Ange too, so that information had then made it's way via Alex to Tess and Leigh. Great. Now I had a support section. That wasn't going to make things any harder for me, honest.

Finally the whistle sounded and we made our way over to the quad. My alarm bells started to sound when there was no sign of him standing outside waiting for me. When we walked into the bright spacious area it was instantly clear that there were no Cullens to be seen. My heart dropped immediately. When would I learn?

I managed to get over my disappointment by throwing myself into the discussion about Saturday. The time was approaching fast and our plans were becoming more concrete. The girls were discussing what to wear, the guys how much cash they should take. Of course Alex was a big part of the clothing discussion, as he always was.

Mike suddenly sat upright, in the way he often did when a great idea struck him. "Hey guys, just a thought, when was the last time we went out in Seattle?" He was grinning a big cheshire cat grin.

"Wow I can't remember." Said Jess, straining her mind.

"Uh, over a year I think." Leigh was staring into space, flipping though the pictures in her head.

"Oh yeah," Tess laughed, "remember Eric, you got separated." The rest of the group laughed, much to Eric's chagrin.

"Thanks for leaving me everybody!" He said sulkily.

"So what do we think, shall we go?" Mike was getting excited. The group replied positively, lots of smiling and head nodding. I smiled and nodded too, but to be honest I was not exactly happy about the idea.

For the rest of the afternoon Mike was figuring out details. We would need to drive out there on the Friday after work, then stay over at a motel. He said he knew a few decent places, and he would do some research. I bit my tongue. The whole thing was coming together far too quickly for my liking.

We left work and headed straight for the bar, planning to get something to eat there and continue the planning for the weekend and for Seattle. However, that plan was dashed.

The bar was dark when we approached, and the doors were all closed. There was only one car in the lot, and that was the pickup driven by the owner. We all just assumed the place must be having fumigation or something.

As a group we did an about face and headed for Mike's place. He was good enough to volunteer as a host for the night, so we stopped in at the liquor store and dialled in to the pizza store when we arrived at his house.

He lived in a small two bedroom similar to ours, hell, it was the same house as pretty much every other house in Forks. It wasn't really a town with much variation. He had a big TV in the living room and some games console hooked up. It wasn't the pig sty I had expected, but you could tell a single guy lived here. There was just that kind of feeling. He made a quick effort when we arrived to throw some laundry into the hamper that had been on the kitchen table, and to throw some plates into the sink. He also quickly hid a couple of DVD's. I made eye contact with Leigh as he did, both of us smiling a knowing smile.

It was a nice evening, the pizza was good and we all enjoyed some wine. Then Alex spoke up.

"Oh hey guys, I just saw something on twitter." We all turned to look, he looked shaken. "Some people are saying Blakeslee's is closed because someone got killed there." He was turning white.

"Oh my god, anyone we know?" Asked Jess.

He flicked through several more tweets on his phone. "Nobody knows. It's more of a rumour at this point." He paused, reading something that made him go even whiter. "Someone says it was a murder."

A silence hit the room. We all looked at one another. Jess gulped and looked at me.

"Shall we?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think we should." I stood. "Thanks Mike, tonight has been great."

We collected our things and hurried off into the night. Mike's house was not far from Charlie's, so we dropped by. If anyone knew what was going on, he would.

"Oh, Bella, Jess, Hi." He said, looking confused. He had a beer can in his hand, and his eyes were red.

"Dad, what's this I heard about Blakeslee's?" I blurted out. He could easily pick up the anxiety in my voice.

"Oh, you heard about that?"

"Yeah, it's all over twitter." Jess said, her voice high and wavering.

"Great. Well, you'll hear this tomorrow, so don't go tworting it or whatever you kids do."

I gave him a withering look. He still didn't have this technology thing down.

"We found a body this morning. It looks like foul play, so be careful." We both looked terrified. "Are you on foot?"

We both nodded. "I left the truck at home. Always walk to the bar, you taught me that dad."

"Well I'm gonna take you home." He pulled on his boots and we followed him to the cruiser.

When he dropped us off he waited at the kerbside while we walked up the path. The strange thing was, as we walked that short walk in the dark with the local chief of police sat watching from his not very easy to miss police cruiser, I could swear I felt someone watching me. It was the strangest feeling and I really did not like it one bit.

Even when we were inside and the door was locked I couldn't shake the feeling. As I was getting ready for bed Jess came into my room.

"So, I was thinking." Her eyes were wide. "Do you mind if I sleep in here tonight?" I looked around. Admittedly I had been thinking of going and asking her the same question.

"We may as well sleep on the couch, at least there's the TV." I said.

She nodded and we collected out duvets on the way downstairs. Much of the night was spent with chatter, trying to distract ourselves from the elephant in the room. There was no way I was talking about it, and she sure wasn't either.

When I finally managed to nod off my dreams were dark and stressful. There were shadowy figures in the corners and nobody wanted to be in the sunlight.


	8. Chapter 8

The TV woke me the next morning. I looked around, slightly confused, to find myself in the living room. The light was still on, and I wondered how I had even gotten to sleep in the first place. Jess was all huddled up in a little ball at the opposite end of the sofa, where she had made a nest out of her duvet and a bunch of pillows. I stretched only to find I had an awesome crick in my neck. I really hoped that would stretch out soon.

I threw one of my pillows at Jess and she opened her eyes slowly. I then pointed to the clock and her eyes went wide. She jumped to her feet and scurried off to use the bathroom first. There was still a chance we could be at work on time, but only if we got a move on.

The morning actually passed quite quickly, as they often do when you struggled to get out of bed and face the day. The work was becoming very easy for me now, and I was starting to take on more challenging tasks, which were not really all that challenging. I noticed that Esme was in her office, and that gave me hope. I checked the in/out board, and each of the Cullen's were listed as being in the office. Then I noticed something. It wasn't sunny today. The clouds had moved back over the sun and we were back to normal in Forks. That set off a few tiny sparks in my head. I felt sure it was all connected somehow, I just had to join up the dots.

However, before I could have time to try and piece together the evidence into anything resembling a theory, the whistle sounded and it was lunch time. I followed my friends out the door, and was in an almost dream like state when I spotted him, right there waiting for me. He met me in the yard and walked with me to the quad. I hadn't brought a drink with me so I had to go to the soda machine, but that was ok, he came with me, producing two quarters and flipping them from his thumb into the coin slot. I nudged the button and the an fell.

We took a seat at what was fast becoming our bench and we chatted. Just small stuff, he asked me a few awkward questions which I refused to answer, I asked him why he wasn't eating. I also notice that his eyes were shimmering with gold today.

"So I have a couple of questions for you." I said in a straight, to the point way.

"Shoot." He said, in such a cheesy way I expected him to make finger guns when he said it.

"Ok, so the first is easy." I laid the groundwork for my disappointment. I had been fighting with myself over this one most of the morning, but I was going to do it.

"I like easy." He smiled his crooked smile which was already becoming his go to move. I guess it must have been obvious what effect it had on me.

"We, a bunch of us from our office, are going over to the Quillete River Casino tomorrow."

He nodded and smiled politely. "I hear it's lovely."

"Well, I wondered if you wanted to come?" I pulled a face in anticipation of his rejection.

"You know, I would love to." This wasn't going well. "But I can't."

Ok, way to be cryptic. Don't even offer up any kind of excuse? I decided not to press him on it. He looked too relaxed and I didn't really want to agitate him.

"You'll have a great time." He whispered. "Now what was the other question?" His eyes burned, like I was about to ask for the meaning of life.

"It's more a statement than a question. Based on a theory."

There was some serious movement in the corners of his mouth. "Go on."

"Are you Batman?" I said it while laughing and he joined in. Yes, let's mock the crazy person, how nice.

He shook his head. "I'm not Batman."

"That's too bad, Bruce. I think Forks needs a crime fighter." His laughter stopped abruptly. Oh here we go, I had said the wrong thing. It had taken longer than usual but there it was.

"Bella, I'm not a hero." He said, his jaw set and his mouth a thin line.

"Well you know what?" I was starting to get riled up again. "I'm starting to think you're full of horseshit." I was starting to breath heavily and I knew this might be taking a turn for the worse but I was going down the path no matter what. I had committed to it now. "You give me all these hints about how you're dangerous, and no good for me, you drop little bits here and there, but when I try and get you to open up you just go all weird on me. Explain yourself Eddy Cullen." My finger was pointing straight into his face. He looked shocked. Somehow I had kept my voice low enough that only the two of us heard.

"Ok, listen, the reason why I got all serious is this. Forks does seem to need a hero at the moment. There have been a few happenings out here lately and it makes me worry for you. You're so vulnerable, and if something should happen to you I wouldn't forgive myself."

"Oh so now you're my protector?" I countered.

"Someone has to be." Touché.

"Oh come on."

"All I'm saying is you need to be careful out there. There are always bad things lurking in the shadows. Not all of them want to harm you." He motioned towards himself. "But some will."

I took this in for a moment and processed it. "Are you saying you've been stalking me?" I gave him a serious glower. It just made him grin again. Dammit why was his smile so disarming. It wasn't fair.

"There's stalking, and then there's looking out for you." He said evenly. I swear he wanted to chuckle so badly but to be fair he did a great job of holding it in.

"Ok, well if I see you in the bushes outside my window I'm calling my dad. remember? Chief of police? Big old gun?" Now I made a finger gun and pointed it at him.

"Hmm, Ok, I better not be seen then." He smiled. It felt like he was toying with me right now.

"I think I have a new theory." I whispered after a moments silence. Unbeknown to him I had also glanced at the clock.

"Please do share." He said, burning me with those sparking eyes.

Then the whistle went and it was time to go. I gave him a wink. "Later." I said and stood, walking over to my friends who were just moving. I turned back and gave him a meaningful look and I could see the expression on his face. He was not happy with being made to wait.

During the afternoon I had to go to the engineers office a couple of times, and each time he tried to corner me and find out my theory, but I was too quick for him. One time I avoided his question with one of my own. When he cornered me in the copy room I cut him off.

"Where were you yesterday?" As direct and to the point as I could be. Dynamite.

"Out." He said.

"Yes I gathered. But where, and doing what?"

"Let's just say it was for the common good."

"Look Eddy." I was getting riled again. "If you don't want to tell me, then say so, don't be so goddamn cryptic all the time." I stormed off.

Later on in the afternoon a thought hit me and I checked it out online. I wondered what results I might have on google with my observations with this Cullen family. So here we go, I thought as I typed the words in, imagining google was a man in an office who was giving me a very stupefied look for asking something so ridiculous.

I typed the following:

Pale skin, eyes change colour, super fast, super strong, no sun.

Before I hit enter I looked at the words on the screen and one word came to the front of my mind, but I cast it aside. Vampires were only in movies.

The search threw up nothing of interest except a few articles about drugs. I made a mental note to read them later.

Tess told us in the afternoon that Blakeslee's was open again, so we all agreed to go. It was Friday night, after all.

When we arrived we were surprised to see a car in the car park. It looked familiar, a dark blue Mercedes SLK. It was very sleek, very shiny but also quite understated for something so expensive.

Inside we were almost shocked to our cores to see there were two guys at the bar. How could this possibly be? We moved to a table and started to get comfortable, then I noticed that one of the guys was Edward, and the other was his huge brother, Emmett who was clutching a can of bud in his right hand. I didn't realise they even sold cans in the bar. Edward was nursing a tall glass with something clear in it, a lot of ice and a slice of lemon. It looked slightly camp and I guess that suited him.

"What are they doing here, did you invite them?" Jess hissed in my ear. She didn't exactly sound upset, more curious.

"No, I have no idea." I hissed back. "I'm not their mother.

She giggled and went back into the general conversation which was mainly casino talk with some Seattle thrown in for good measure. I stood and walked over to Edward by the bar.

"Whats going on?" I asked using my casual voice.

"A guy can't go for a drink with his brother?" He said sarcastically. Emmet took a long swig and crunched the can in his hand, smiling at me warmly as he did.

"Hi Bella, how ya doin?" I liked him. The occasions when we had spoken he had been blunt and honest, but also funny.

"Hey, I'm good Emmet, you?"

He belched loudly and looked surprised. "Can't complain." He grinned widely showing his perfect white teeth.

I turned my attention back to Edward. "What in the hell are you drinking anyway?" I asked, pointing at his glass.

He looked embarrassed. "It's called a Tom Collins." He muttered. I was about to take it and try some when three more figures came through the door. Rose, Alice and Jasper. Great we had a whole set. Now the part could really get started, I hung back and listened to the drink order which Alice told the barman.

"Hi Barkeep, can I please have a Bourbon for my guy here, a Sidecar for my sister, and I shall have a gin." She happily drew out some notes to pay with. The bartender didn't look impressed. He reached for his cocktail card again.

Edward leaned in close. "Bella, I said I was going to keep an eye on you, well this is how I'm going to do it."

I glanced around. My friends looked like they had forgotten me already and were laughing and joking. He motioned towards the bard. "What do you want?"

Several Tequila shots later it was time to go. My plan to get him loose by drinking had backfired on me slightly. He had shown no effect of the numerous cocktails, however I was not so fortunate. I would be able to sleep it off tomorrow, but I needed to walk home first.

"Let me walk you home." Edward said in a strong way that I felt shouldn't be argued with.

"Ok, but don't go getting any ideas mister!" Those words came out of my mouth. Oh my, I was never drinking.

He pulled an angelic pose. Oh great, that was an image I would have stuck in my head for quite some time.

I told Jess that I was leaving and that Edward was walking me home. She squealed delightedly. I gave her a look so she toned it down slightly. The rest of the group was starting to notice. Tess gave me a thumbs up, and Alex winked. The other two guys seemed to not understand what was happening.

We walked out into the cold air together and kept our stride brisk. He didn't talk much on the walk, it was more like he was tracking someone. It was strange and a little unnerving. The dark bushes around us did nothing to settle my nerves, and his general strange behaviour really didn't help. Finally we got to my house, and I opened the door.

"Do you want to come in... for coffee?" I asked. Oh my god that was the tequila talking again, wasn't it?

He shook his head. "That would be a terrible idea." He took my hand in his. It was icy, like he had been keeping it in a fridge. "Be safe Bella." He said. Then he stood there while I closed the door, after wishing him a goodnight.

Oh my oh my, I knew exactly what I was going to be dreaming about that night,


	9. Chapter 9

Jess woke me up nice and early by coming in my room and jumping on my bed. My god I thought it was the end of the world. She was acting like a sixteen year old. I guess that was the power of dating a guy she liked, but really, did she absolutely have to wake me up? and like that?

Knowing the day that lay ahead of me I would rather have slept in a little, but then I suppose you just have to live with these things sometimes. And it wasn't long before I was all caught up in her enthusiasm myself. We had agreed to meet Angela for lunch, and we were going to get ready at her house. The morning passed quickly as Jess fretted over what to wear. In the end she tossed a large bag of assorted clothes into the back of my truck and we drove across town to Angela's apartment.

She buzzed us in, and we lugged our stuff up the stairs. To be honest, it felt like we were moving in, but I bit my tongue. I wasn't about to ruin tonight for Jess by whining about everything. Her apartment was nice. She had it quite sparse and neat, which was what I expected having seen her desk every day. We put our clothes in her spare room and then all three of us went to the little cafe just down the street. We enjoyed a nice lunch there, and while we sat and chatted Tess and Lauren arrived. That dampened my mood straight away. I had forgotten Lauren was coming. Great. Tess was a different story though, and I enjoyed her stories as we sat and drank coffee, and then made our way back to Angela's to get ready. We met Leigh, who was waiting for us when we got there. Apparently it hadn't crossed her mind to text us and see where we were.

The six of us made our way upstairs and spent the next two hours getting ready. It was a lot of fun, trying stuff on, drinking wine, dancing, arguing about makeup and worrying that we had all brought completely the wrong clothing with us.

In the end I settled for a long black dress and flats. My hair just wouldn't go the way I wanted it to so I tied it up. I figured it would do. Next to Jess, Lauren and Tess I looked way under dressed, but lucky for me Angela was quite understated, and Leigh had to be told not to wear track pants. She ended up in jeans.

When the buzzer sounded around five, Mike announced his arrival. He and Alex were the drivers for the day, and they seemed happy enough about the whole thing. They came in and Eric followed them. All three of them had gone for the Bond look, and I managed to find out that there had been a slight argument in that department. But they had finally settled, and Mike was trying to be Connery, Eric was an unconvincing Roger Moore, and Alex did quite a good Timothy Dalton. I just had a feeling that tonight would be fun.

We walked out into what had become quite a chilly night and tried to decide how we were going to do this. Eric, Leigh and Tess decided to go in Alex's Chevvy, leaving Angela, Jess and I to go along with Mike. I made a move to try and shepherd me to the passenger seat, but I managed to duck out and get to the back seat with Angela.

I watched the world slip by as we drove out of Forks, the green trees rolling by. The road snaked back and forth across the Quillete river, and when it did I was treated to a view of a valley with lots of trees leading down to the water, a twisting silver ribbon in the increasing gloom.

Mike and Jess chatted happily in the front the whole way, and I occasionally exchanged a few words with Angela, but she was as lost in thought as I was, wondering just what Edward was doing right about now.

Eventually we pulled into a small parking lot with a couple of pickup trucks and a semi parked in it. There was a small illuminated sign on the front of a dark building which looked like it was mainly made of wood. As we approached we could see the building was plainly the casino, although it was very sparsely decorated. We filled in, paying a cover fee and showing our ID to the guy on the door, an old guy with dark leathery skin and a formal indian head dress on. I could tell he wasn't exactly pleased to be in the getup, but at least he was being paid.

Inside there were a few people, and I do mean a few. The place was quite nice. There was a long bar, and there were a couple of black jack tables, a roulette wheel, some slots and the poker table in the center of the floor. To be honest though I was more interested in getting to the bar. It had some large plush looking sofas, and I was already thinking I could hang out there all night. I had been told the place could get quite busy, but apparently this was not a busy period.

Alex, Leigh, Jess and I headed over to the bar area, and the others went off into the casino to try and lose some of their money. We sat in a couple of sofas that were arranged around a table and within a few moments the barman casually approached us.

"Hey guys, I'm Sam, I'll be looking after you tonight." He said, his voice deep to match his large body. I could see Leigh and Alex drooling. Oh for christsake it was going to be one of those nights. His large biceps strained the sleeves of his shirt as he pulled out his pad. "What are we drinking?"

We all gave our orders. I decided to take it easy and go with wine, since I had had some before leaving I thought it a good idea not to mix. Alex was the only one who had coke, except for Mike, but he didn't know he was getting it until it arrived at his black ack table.

Sam brought over our drinks on a large tray. The atmosphere in here was quite nice, not too loud so you could have a decent conversation, which we had been having until now, when two of us had to hold their breath.

"So you guys are local aren't you?" He said glancing around us.

"Sure are." Said Alex, trying to do his best silky voice.

"Yeah I thought I recognised most of you. He said, giving me a quizzical look.

"Oh she just moved here." Said Jess, pointing at me.

"Hi." I gave him a nervous little wave.

Just then Lauren, Eric and Mike appeared presumably to thank us for their drinks.

"How are you guys doing?" Sam asked. "Any wins yet?" They shook their heads "Hey, it's the way she goes, keep at it."

"I was up, but it's funny how quickly it goes." Said Eric.

Mike stepped forward. "Sam? Good to see you, it's been what, a year?"

"At least." He laughed, a deep booming sound. "What brings you guys all the way out here?"

"Well, you know Forks, nothing much to do on the weekend. We figured we should mix it up a bit."

"Yeah, you guys are always welcome, you know that." He smiled.

"Would you say that if I didn't lose so much money?" Mike laughed, and Sam gave him a thumbs up.

"Well it's nice to see you guys anyway. You should bring more from the office."

Lauren piped up. "Well, there probably would be another is Bella had her way." Bitch. I'd just let my mind wander away from him.

"Oh, who would that be?" Sam asked.

"I guess she would have invited Cullen." Said Mike darkly, "but he's not exactly sociable."

Sam laughed again, this time with more meaning. "Well it's a good job you didn't bring any of that family, they aren't welcome here."

I looked up confused. "How come?"

"Its a long story, but let's just say they are barred." His laughter was gone, but he tried hard to remain good natured. I could tell that was all he was going to say on the matter.

"Hey, can you shoot another coke over to the craps table please?" Eric asked, and with that Sam left us to ourselves. We chatted for a while, various members of our group moving over to the tables when the mood took us.

About an hour after we arrived I felt enough wine had passed through me and it was time to pay a visit. As I made my way over to the restrooms I heard a familiar voice.

"Izzy Swan?" Oh now where did I recognise that voice.

I turned to see a smiling face. Big dark eyes, dark skin, long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail that hung between his shoulder blades? Yep, that was a familiar face. "Jakey Black? No way!"

He was quickly closing the gap, I could see he was wearing tan coveralls and a tool belt. "Izzy, what are you doing here?" He laughed, almost like he couldn't believe his eyes, and I knew exactly how he felt. "It's been, what?

"Seven years. My road trip." I nodded slowly, my smile was as wide as his. Had it really been that long?

"Shit, you look great Iz, how you been keeping?" He wasn't much different than I remembered, still slightly hyper, still totally infectious in his great mood.

"I've been good Jake, real good. Are you working here?" It was pretty obvious, but I had to think of something on the fly.

"Sure, yeah, My dad owns the place. Grandpa left it to him." I was struggling to recall the details. I figured he was a year younger than me.

"You said you were going to college?" II asked, remembering that detail.

"Yeah, I did. I went over to Portland for three years, got my papers, now I work here and fix almost everything in Forks." He looked over to my table. "Here with your buds?"

"Yeah, we took a drive out. You know Forks, we had to get some excitement somehow."

He flipped a wrench a couple of times. "So listen, if you need anything doing, give me a call." He handed me a card with his name and number on it.

"Count on it. Our house needs plenty of work." He smiled broadly. "Oh, and Jake..." He looked at me expectantly. "People call me Bella now." I smiled as I continued to the restrooms.

When I returned to my seat I was immediately pounced on by Jess and Alex.

"Who was THAT?" She demanded.

"Yeah, he was hot." Sighed Alex.

"An old friend." I said, trying to cut the conversation off there. Even though I started sipping my drink I could tell I was not getting off that easily.

"Do tell." Said Jess. She sensed there was a background there, and I figured I should just dive in. If I didn't tell her now she would pester me and eventually the rest of the group would be in on the harassment. And that was not good.

"Ok, but keep it to yourselves. I don't want the office chattering about me on Monday." They mimed zipping their mouths closed. "So during my senior year at Arizona I took a road trip. To be honest the studying was getting too much for me and I needed a break, so I got in my old station wagon and I drove all the way up here. I crashed with my dad for the night, then went out to drink the next night. I ran into Jake, one thing led to another. I went home with him, and, well, we hung out for a few days until I decided to go back."

They looked at me with shocked faces. "Oh come on. You guys were in college too, right?" They nodded. "It was exactly what I needed. I thought it was a fling at the time, but I thought about him a lot. I never expected him to still be here."

They sipped their drinks slowly. I had no idea such a simple story could be so interesting to them.

A little while later a thought occurred to me. What Sam had said when we arrived had been niggling my mind for a while now, and I decided I should go find out what the real story was. I excused myself again, under the guise of a restroom trip. I had tactically made sure any ladies present had been recently so they didn't accompany me. It was fifty fifty as to wether Alex would try and come too, but lucky for me he didn't.

I found Jake near the side door, and I quietly approached him. "Jake?" I tapped his shoulder. He was taller than I remembered. And quite well built too, under his large coveralls. I guessed working all day would help with staying in shape.

He jumped in surprise at my touch, but his face lit up when he saw me. "Hey Izzy... I mean Bella. Whats up?"

"Could I have a word?" I asked.

"Sure." He led me through the side door out into the lot. It was not overly well lit, but he flipped a switch and a soft yellow light came on near the door. It looked like the smokers area, which was fortunately deserted.

"What's up?" He asked again, his dark brown eyes sparking in the soft light.

"Well, it's something Sam said when we got here." I started nervously.

"Sam? Did he intimidate you guys? He comes over as an asshole, but he is super cool." I stopped him before he could go on.

"No, it's not that." The words were not coming as easily as I had hoped. Damn why did he have to still be hot? And single. I had noticed his fingers were ring free. "Someone mentioned the Cullen's, and he said they here barred."

Jake smile a knowing smile. "Oh did he now? Well, he knows he shouldn't be saying that kind of stuff."

I pulled a puzzled face. "So are you going to tell me about it." I went for the coquettish approach. It was stupid idea, but I figured he would tell me what I wanted to know. Hell he probably would have done anyway, but it was too late. Plan slut was in action.

He coughed, thinking. "Well, I'm really not supposed to."

"I won't tell." I said with a wink. Oh come now, really? This was taking it way too far. The wine was taking over.

He smiled. "Alright, but you have to promise you won't say a word. I could lose my job." I pursed my lips and held out my pinkie. He took it in his, and we did a pinkie swear. "You just made me pinkie swear, didn't you?"

"Maybe?" I said, conjuring all the mystery that I could.

"Argh! Ok, you won't be happy, but here goes." I looked on with doting eyes. "Many years ago, and I mean many, a clan came to these parts with skin of stone. It was said that they did the leader of the Quillete tribe a great service, saved his life, and so he formed a treaty with them as a thank you." He could see my smile turning incredulous. "I told you you would think it was stupid."

"No, go on, please. What was the deal with these newcomers?"

"Well, they called them the cold ones. I mean, really? It sounds like a seventies prog rock band or something." He laughed. "Anyway, the treaty was formed to allow them to live and hunt in the area, providing they never set foot on our land." He gestured all around him.

"And the Cullen's are descended from these... Cold ones?" I asked, still wrapped up in the story.

"Not descended from." He said darkly. Then a look of realisation hit him. "Shit." He turned out the light and started making his way back inside.

"What's wrong Jake?" I asked, following him.

"I'm supposed to be in my dad's office, like, five minuets ago. He's gonna give me hell." He closed the door and picked up his tools.

"Well, thanks for the story." I said genuinely.

"No worries, just remember, you pinkie swore. And Bella, be careful."

I held up my pinkie for him to see as he walked off. He gave me a wave and I reciprocated. Then I made my way back to the table, where everyone but Mike was sitting, finishing their drinks. I sat down and drained my own glass.

"What's going on guys?" I asked.

"Looks like we're leaving." Said Tess, sounding amused. "Mike lost all his money. I guess it's time to cut him off before he bets the house."

There was a hearty round of laughter, and then Mike appeared. He looked a little shaken.

"Guys, can we get out of here?" He asked. "I'm dry, and if I stay I'm gonna want to try and win some back."

We all agreed. It was getting late anyway. As we walked towards the exit I noticed the huge carving hanging over the door. It was a large brown wolf with dark eyes. I couldn't explain why, but those dark eyes reminded me of Jake's. How strange.

The car ride home was swift and easy. Not much on the roads on a Saturday night. We were dropped at our place, and I had planned to pick up the truck in the morning with any clothing we had left behind. I was going to drop Leigh, Tess and Lauren's stuff off too, although the latter would be grudgingly.

When I finally got to sleep that night I dreamed strange dreams. Even stranger than before. There were new characters involved. Wolves, huge and scary. Edward was standing on one side of a clearing, and a large brown wolf on the other. Then the sun began to rise and Edward quickly retreated into the trees.

I woke in the middle of the night, still confused.


	10. Chapter 10

A warm feeling stroked my cheek and gently pulled me from my fitful slumber. I opened my eyes and instantly closed them again. The sun was back in action today, and it was not a good thing from my point of view. I didn't drink a silly amount last night, but suffice to say I drunk enough to give me the old jackhammer in the front of my skull.

I looked over at the clock. Noon had passed a half hour ago. At least I didn't have to worry about breakfast. I threw on some sweats and went downstairs, picking up a candy bar and filling a mug with the coffee that was still warm in the pot. Jess was up then.

I found her in the living room, curled up on the couch in her pjs with a mug of coffee cupped in her hands. She was transfixed by the TV.

"Look at this." She said, pointing. I took a seat by her side and watched the local news reporter who was standing outside a bar in broken sunshine. It looked very familiar.

"What am I seeing?" I asked, still trying to blink away he little guy with the mallet in my brain.

"The rumour about a murder at Blakeslee's? Looks like it's true." She said, a slight quiver in her voice.

I watched the report and was able to easily tell that the reporter was standing in the parking lot of our favourite bar. She was just about the right level of pretty for local TV news, just pretty enough to hold your attention, but not so pretty that you hated her. She was repeating the facts about the case. The body had been found on Thursday afternoon, and the owner had kept things quiet in an attempt to not lose any business. However, the police were investigating, and following comments on Saturday evening the bar had been closed until further notice.

"Yeah, well dad told us." I said, now also engrossed in the details. It seemed the man, a trucker from out of town, had been stabbed in the throat. There were no leads, and no witnesses. CSI people were on the site, and police were appealing for witnesses.

"Call your dad." Jess said, staring at me. "See what he knows."

"Yeah, ok." I agreed. It seemed like a good idea. I got up and hunted down my phone, calling up Charlie in the contacts. The phone rang several times before he answered. He sounded flustered.

"Bells, how are ya?" He asked, concern in his voice. It sounded like he was out, which wasn't unusual. But he would normally be fishing.

"Dad, is this a bad time?"

"It ain't the best. I'm working Bells, are you ok?" He definitely sounded concerned.

"Yeah dad, I'm fine. We were out at the Quillete Casino last night." I was suddenly wide awake.

"Well, ok, do me a favour, don't go to Blakeslee's until I tell you it's ok." Deep concern there.

"Ok, dad."

"And be safe, Ok? don't go anywhere on your own for a few days. Stick with Jess."

"Will do dad." I tried my best to keep the sigh out of my words.

"Gotta go sweetie, you stay safe, ok."

"Love you dad." I said as he hung up the phone.

I sat and relayed the conversation to Jess who seemed to grow paler with each word. This was a little too close to home for us. Had we not taken the trip to the casino we would have been there last night, and when we thought back we knew we had been there the night of the murder. It was all very unsettling.

After a while of blankly staring at the TV I decided I had had enough. I wasn't going to learn anything more from the reports, and I figured I should try and take my mind off the murder. I went to the kitchen and cooked up some spaghetti and sat with Jess to eat it. Still she refused to change the channel but now she was glued to her phone, cycling through twitter and chatting to our friends.

"Mike says everyone is still on for Seattle." She said, never raising her eyes.

"Ok." I sighed. Admittedly it wasn't my favourite idea before the news of this morning.

"All the others are good with it. There seems to be a big group from work going."

I just nodded, finishing my food. Then I got to my feet and took our plates into the kitchen, cleaning up. I told Jess I was going to go and send some emails to people back in Phoenix, and went upstairs to my room, firing up the laptop.

A few emails came in straight away, some from Renée, and a couple from old friends asking how I was. And the obligatory spam from a Nigerian prince. Strangely I didn't feel like it was such a great thing that he wanted me to look after his money.

Once I had fired off some replies to the people who needed replies (my mom especially) I went to the internet and brought up google. I decided on a new search including all of the new information I had gathered. Before the page came up I knew exactly what it was going to say. Come on, I had watched a lot of movies, and there were also certain TV shows that covered the subject. In the end it was fairly obvious. Entering the avoiding sunlight thing really cemented the deal. The answer on the screen was vampire.

I shook my head. There was no way that could be. I went further down the rabbit hole and started to look into the Quillete legends. There wasn't a whole lot on there, but what I could find all seemed to revolve around the wolf. I was getting tired so it wasn't making a whole lot of sense but I managed to get something about the wolf being the natural protector of man.

Frustration filled me as I closed the machine down, yelled goodnight to Jess and fell into bed, dreaming some very strange dreams. There were wolves again. And teeth. Lots of teeth.

I was quite tired when I woke. So much so that I could feel the bags under my eyes long before I even saw them in the mirror. Great. That would take some effort with the makeup brush. I wasn't exactly pleased to hear my alarm the first time, let alone the third, but eventually I dragged myself out of bed and got myself into a presentable state ready for the day.

Another morning in the office was another morning spent carrying out menial tasks. One of which was delivering some paperwork to Tyler Crowley. I was not pleased to be landed with that one, mainly because he took it as an opportunity to not only apologise to me yet again for almost killing me, but also to try and hit on me. I wasn't taking it though. I was far too tired and cranky for his shit, so I dropped the papers in his hand and stormed off.

Edward could tell something was troubling me the moment we sat down. He chanced a sly grin.

"Sleep well" He asked.

I merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"So how did your weekend go?" He asked with genuine interest.

"Well Saturday was good. Yesterday less so." I stifled a yawn.

"You hit the bottle too much?" He asked, the corners of his mouth doing that annoying twitching thing.

"No." I said irritably. "I just had a bad day yesterday."

"Anything you want to talk about?" He asked warmly.

"I was just concerned by the news." I said.

"Oh. That." His face went dark. "We've been looking into that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. He suddenly realised what he had said.

"Oh, well, I mean..." He struggled to piece anything together and fell silent. His eyes were dark again today, and I could tell his mood wasn't great. However, I had things I wanted to discuss. Things that would make him even more pissed off.

"So, I was thinking." I said casually, taking a sip of soda. He looked intrigued now.

"I hope it's something a little better than last time. Surely you're going to let Batman go?" He chuckled softly.

I smiled a deadly smile of forbidden knowledge. "You, mister, are a vampire." I had to try. I figured just throwing it out there would be the best way. He would laugh, or he would react.

He suddenly stopped chucking and looked at me with very serious eyes. Bingo.

"Really?" He said. His voice was low, gravelly. Not it's usual silky self.

"Well, I was just trying out a theory but I guess you just proved me right." I said smugly. He snorted, having managed his shock.

"Oh?" He grunted.

"All the pieces took some arranging, but we should look at the facts." I sipped more soda, slowly, to make him stew. "Let's start with your eyes. Normal people do not have eyes that change colour. It's not a human thing." He move his hand to his eye almost instinctively. "Then there is the speed and strength that you deny so much. I saw it though, Edward." His look of chagrin was tense. I held up a finger for each point. "Here's a good one. You're whole family takes the day off when the sun comes out. Your skin is pale and cold, and then there is the drink. I could have carbon dated the whole group of you by your drinks." He allowed himself a smile at that one. "But the final nail in what I hope is a proverbial coffin, I met an old friend on Saturday who mentioned something about the cold ones." I gave him my best smug face. The prosecution rests.

"And who would that be?" He asked. At the mention of the cold ones he was very serious.

"That would be an old friend of mine who shall remain nameless, but I will tell you that it's a Quillete story." His eyes were wide again. "And then there is this thing with the guy at the bar. Did you kill that guy? I heard his throat was cut. Was that you? If it was I'm not going to be happy."

He almost slapped me out of my rant when he spoke. "I don't drink human blood. None of my family does." I was stunned. He had literally just confessed.

"Oh, uh, what do you drink?" I asked, finding words a difficult commodity all of a sudden.

"Whatever I can hunt." He said slowly ad softly. "Mostly deer and mountain lions. Emmet loves bear." He had given me a mental image, and it was very difficult to think about anything other than his massive brother with the bull neck and tree trunk arms wrestling with a bear.

"So the stories are true?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

"Well some are, yes. I don't sleep in coffins, mainly because I don't sleep, but also because it's gross. Crosses and garlic won't burn me, and neither will the sun."

"So why do you avoid it?" I was leaning forward and so was he.

"That is something better shown than told." He said.

"One thing bothers me." I started. He cocked his head, almost as though he had heard his name from across the room. I turned to see Alex and Tess looking our way.

"They wonder what we could be discussing." He said in a far off voice.

"Oh, ok, that explains it." I replied. "You can read lips."

"He shook his head, smiling. "I can read minds." He said, touching his temple.

"So what am I thinking right now?" I asked.

"Well you're probably thinking about vampires, but that's obvious. And it doesn't work on you anyway." Now his smile was back.

"So are there many it doesn't work on?" I asked.

"Nope. Just you." He pointed at me. "And before you ask, I have no idea why."

Just then the whistle sounded and it was time to get back to work. He stood at the same time as me.

"Jess is going to ask you to go to Mike's house with her tonight." He said. "She needs you to go because she doesn't want to walk." His eyes flitted around the room. "Let her drive your car, I'll take you home."

"What? Really? That is ridiculous." I had to laugh a little.

"If she asks to borrow your truck, then it proves what I can do. If she doesn't then you can dismiss me as a fraud."

I looked at him cautiously. I had to make a move because the quad was getting empty. "Ok, Eddy Cullen. If she asks I will let her borrow my truck and give you a call."

He winked. "I look forward to your call."

And wouldn't you know it, less than a half hour after lunch I was on the phone to Edward. He sounded very smug. I had told her I would get a ride home, and she instantly put two and two together. I asked her not to tell anyone though. I could really do without the whole office talking about me and Edward.

The afternoon was one of those blurry passages of time that seem to flash by but also last forever. I was anxious. Very anxious.

He was waiting for me outside when the whistle blew, and he lead me quietly to his silver AMG. It was a low, sleek car, but the colour wasn't showy. I did get the impression that it would go very fast.

The ride home was strange. He barely spoke to me, his eyes scanning the streets, and it looked like he was scanning deeper, into the underbrush maybe. I was amazed when we pulled up outside my house. It seemed to have taken only moments.

"You should let me pick you up in the morning." He said. I nodded in agreement. Jess would be happy to have free use of my truck.

He wished me goodnight and waited on the kerbside as I walked up the path. It was strange. I got the feeling he wanted to talk but found it difficult somehow. Maybe he would open up in the morning.

I spent the evening watching chat shows and sitcoms. Anything to keep my mind off the news and the events of the day. I so did not want to think about him tonight. I had made sure that the door was securely locked and I had a constant feeling of paranoia, like someone was peeing through the windows.

Late on, as I was getting ready for bed I heard the front door slam. I went downstairs to investigate. Jess was in tears, and I finally managed to find out that Mike had said something stupid. I couldn't figure out what it was, but she was pretty upset. Oh well, I guess that was the end of that then.

She made me help her finish a bottle of white and we sat on the sofa while she ranted about all of his failings, then went into her previous failed romances. I played the good friend and smiled, nodded and said 'bastard' when appropriate.

Finally she passed out, probably due to exhaustion from all the talking. I crept up to bed and was quickly asleep.

Once again teeth were the featured attraction of my dreams, and this time there were elements of sunshine. And a dead body in a pool of blood in a bar.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Ok folks, hope you are enjoying this. Some good news, I completed this story at the weekend. Fear not I will continue to post it weekly to give me chance to work on the next story.**_

Pitter, patter, pitter, patter. That was how I awoke on Tuesday. It didn't exactly make it very different from usual, but that didn't mean I had to get used to it. I pulled myself out of bed, noticing there were no signs yet of Jess. She would normally be in the shower or at least downstairs making noise, but today there was nothing. I ventured downstairs and found her still passed out on the couch, exactly where I had left her.

As much as I hated myself for doing it because I knew I wouldn't be impressed, I gave her a gentle shake. She opened her eyes and looked at me with that confused stare of someone waking up in a place they didn't expect. I told her I was going to get showered and left her to her thoughts. By the time I was dry she was there, waiting for me.

"Sorry about that." She said, keeping her eyes down. Her hair was a tangled mess.

"Hey, yeah no problem, I understand." I said, filling my words with compassion.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she stepped by me into the bathroom.

When I told her Edward was picking me up over breakfast she seemed to cheer up. A sly smile spread across her face.

"Bella? Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. It seemed she had already forgotten last nights problems with Mike.

"Well I didn't want to upset you, what with the state you were in last night." Was the best I could think of.

"Well this is a huge deal. In all the years I worked there I don't think he's ever dated, and hello, that guy is hotness!" At least she was in a better mood now, even if it came with an inquisition.

"Really?" I asked. "I wonder why." I thought for a moment while she ate. "They are a close family, aren't they?"

She chewed while thinking and then swallowed. "Yeah, you could say that. They don't like to interact with others." She chuckled. "Well, Esmee obviously has to, and Carlisle is very nice, but they tend to avoid mixing when the can." She was thoughtful again. "The other night was the first time I have ever seen them outside of work."

"Strange." I said in a far off voice. I snapped back to Earth. "So, are you ok driving the truck today?"

"Oh sure. I'm glad you offered, the last thing I need is to be asking he who should not be named for a ride." She shuddered.

She was out the door before me. I glanced out the window and there was a silver AMG on the drive, looking very understated in the rain. I pulled on my jacket and made a run for it.

He was sitting in the drivers seat, eyes on me as I got in. He had a look of relief on his face, and I wan't quite sure what it was all about. If he was worried about me not coming then he could have texted me. Unless he didn't have my number. I made a mental note to check on that.

"Good night?" He asked, smiling.

"Not bad for me, not so good for Jess." I grimaced at the thought.

"Yes. He said all the wrong things i'm afraid." He smiled at me as he pulled onto the main street. "And he thinks he did nothing wrong of course."

"You read his mind?" I asked.

"Well I don't really choose. It's like being in a crowded bar, I just hear those thought." He was staring straight out the windscreen.

"So you don't control it then?" I asked, my voice filled with wonder.

"Not as such, I just try and tune it out." He turned to me again with a withering smile.

"That must be so hard." I pondered for a while. I had enough trouble in a quiet office, when I was in a crowded room I often struggled with the basics, such as walking and talking.

"You get used to it after a while." He said grimly. Of course.

"Oh my god, yeah, I had been meaning to ask how old you were." I looked at him expectantly, but he seemed to be avoiding the question.

"You could say I'm twenty seven." He said, no trace of sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh come on." I said, impatiently.

"Let's just say the Chicago White Stockings won the American League the year I was born." Ok, I guessed I would be spending the morning looking at Wikipedia then.

We pulled into the work parking lot and he put the car into his usual parking space. We both climbed out. He turned to me, squinting in the light rain.

"See you at lunch." He said.

"You might." I replied, turning and walking away.

I was expecting Jess to jump on me when I entered the office, but she wasn't looking well. I sat at my desk, noticing that everyone was quiet. I also noticed that Leigh was nowhere to be seen. Usually she was the loudest of morning complainers, and would be busy making the morning pot of coffee.

"Hey, where's Leigh?" I asked Jess. She just sat there, staring at her monitor.

"Nobody's seen her since last night." Said Tess. "Alex thinks he saw her leaving with a guy, but..." She made a skeptical face.

"Oh come on, you're far too hard on her." I said. Tess could be a little harsh, and Leigh was her best friend. I hadn't figured out why, it seemed a strange dynamic, but they seemed to get along.

Alex popped up from behind his monitor like a meerkat. "Well it's true. He had long hair, and I have no idea what he was wearing, but if I was the fashion police, and I should be, I would be booking that guy!"

We laughed, and that was a good thing as it broke the tension in the office. Somehow that tension didn't return all morning, and then it was time for lunch. Once again I found myself in the quad, sitting opposite my beautiful living sculpture. I noticed straight away that two of his family, the massive Emmet and the strikingly beautiful Rose were nowhere to be seen.

"Are you still planning on going to Seattle?" Edward asked. Way to be direct there, just blurt it out.

"Yes." I said stonily. "What of it, are you coming?"

"I don't think so, and to be honest I don't think you should either." His face was utterly serious.

"And why would that be? Do you want me all to yourself?" Now I was putting up a bit of a tease.

"Well despite that being a very bad idea, it would be much better than the alternative." He whispered, his eyes fixed on me, still very dark, the bags under them were very pronounced.

"How about we let me make up my own mind." I said frostily.

He paused for a moment, staring over my shoulder. I turned to look and saw Eric reading something on his phone. He looked up and spoke. Edward smiled at me.

"Well it won't be this weekend." He said smugly?

"How come, what happened?" I asked.

"Your friend Eric just told everyone he needs to go to Portland for the weekend. He has family there that he needs to see." He played with my soda can, so I took it from him.

"Oh, well I guess I'm free for the weekend then." The thought of another dull weekend was not appealing. I thought about jumping on a flight to San Francisco or something.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

I smiled. All of a sudden I realised I had something of an advantage over him. "I was just thinking about getting some sun this weekend."

He looked curious. "Oh? I know a nice place."

"I thought it would be a bad idea?"

"Well." He pondered. "It would, but it seems that we should do it anyway." He was leaning towards me. I closed the gap so our faces were very close. "I can't keep my mind off you, and you don't seem interested in my warnings."

"Well I think it would be worth the risk." I whispered.

"I thought you might say that." Suddenly it was as if we were alone. The hustle and bustle of the quad was gone and I had fallen into the wells of his eyes.

"Do you disagree?" I said, making a face of mock hurt.

""Oh no. And the risk is great, believe me." We were so very close.

"I do." I breathed. "And ok, you're on." I knew the whistle was moments away so I moved closer, only inches of electrically charged air were between us now. Then I winked and stood, turning and walking away as the whistle sounded. Smooth.

When I got back to my desk the office was freezing. After several attempts to change the settings it was decided that the AC must be on the fritz. Esme gave me a number on a piece of paper for a repair man, so I dialled it without thinking.

"Yo?" Said the voice on the other end. A strangely familiar voice.

"Hi this is Bella from Forks Electrical, I'm told you can fix Air Con units?"

There was laughter at the other end of the line. "Bella? As in Bella Swan?" The laughter continued.

"Yes, that's me." I was getting impatient.

"Bella, it's me, Jake." Now it was my turn to laugh.

"Oh, Jake, how are you." I was glad he couldn't see the shade of beetroot that my face had turned.

"I'm great Bella, you?" He was still laughing and now I found the sound infectious, a wide smile spreading across my face.

"I'm good, but our AC unit isn't. When can you get over to check it out?" I twisted the cord of the phone.

"First thing tomorrow ok for you?" He said. "I'm right in the middle of something now, gonna take all day."

"Yeah that's perfect, see you in the morning." We said our goodbyes and hung up. I sat back with a Cheshire cat grin. Jess noticed and gave me a quizzical look. I sent her a text so that the rest of the office wouldn't hear.

'Jake coming tomorrow.'

'OMG hot guy from casino?'

'Yup.'

'Eeeeeeeeek :)'

'ikr?'

I really enjoyed the grown up conversations with my best friend.

That night we took a trip to the Mill, the bar the others had visited last night. It was pretty much the same as Blakeslee's, maybe a few more people as the factory workers chose to drink here. There was a little talk of Seattle and the fact that it would be re-arranged, and some nervous chatter about Leigh. Jess was very excited about the way my love life seemed to be panning out, telling me whichever one I chose, she should get the other. I gave her a stern look for that one. She was super excited about the idea of Jake coming to the office in the morning.

Later on she got chatting to Mike again. I noticed he had bought her a rose, and she was all smiles again. I hoped she would take her time this time, and not go diving right in again.

We decided to leave before the rest of our group, and I followed Jess out into the lot where she had parked my truck. I had let her drive earlier, it seemed she needed all the practice she could get.

Something caught my eye as we walked across the gravel, and I walked over. It was pink and half of it was hidden by the bushes. I bent over and picked it up. It was a phone in a bright pink Hello Kitty case. I had a terrible feeling. I took out my own phone and dialled Leigh. The pink phone burst into life and started ringing.

I cancelled the call and jumped into the driver seat, Jess looking at me questioningly. I told her we needed to go see Charlie.

He was tired looking, and when I handed over the phone his face dropped.

"Holy shit Bells, that's not good." He muttered, taking it from me.

"Just find her dad, please. She's really nice and I hate to think anything happened to her."

He nodded, and we exchanged our goodbyes, him hugging both Jess and I. Then we drove home, neither of us saying much as I drove, or while we ate.

Once again we fell asleep on the couch, the TV flickering in front of us. Once again my dreams were full, and they were getting darker.


	12. Chapter 12

I opened my eyes to the welcome sight of a TV weatherman pointing to a map of the Pacific Northwest, stating which clouds were going to cause the most rain for which areas. It looked like Saturday could turn out to be a nice afternoon, but like anything up here, that only meant there was a slim possibility of good weather.

Jess was already dressed and showered, she told me she had been awake for a while because she couldn't sleep, so she had gotten dressed. She then spent the last hour sat watching the news on mute. When it was time to get up she had turned the volume up gradually. That was so sweet I could have kissed her. I would have probably stumbled and smashed something, or at least turned the TV on at full blast.

She handed me a coffee as I wiped my eyes, telling me that there was nothing new on the news.

"Investigations are ongoing." She said in a hushed voice. She looked tired.

"Jess, did you even sleep last night?"

"I think I got a few hours." She said. I struggled to believe her.

When I was dressed and ready we left the house only to see my truck boxed in by a certain shiny silver Mercedes.

"Do you mind taking the truck?" I asked, my voice full of apology.

She smiled. "No, of course not. But I want details later."

I nodded and held up my hand in thanks as I jumped into the passenger seat of the AMG. He was focused on something in the distance, and I seemed to pull him out of his reverie.

"Wakey wakey?" I sang, as he almost looked confused.

"Oh. hello." He said.

"Whatchya looking at?" I asked.

"Nothing. I thought I saw something, but I didn't." He said slowly, still sounding groggy.

"Edward, how long have you been parked there?" I voiced my thoughts openly.

"I was worried." He said, and I could see his dark eyes were full of concern. "There is something going on in town." No shit sherlock.

"Edward do you know anything about my friend Leigh?" We were moving now, gliding up the high street.

"No but we are looking into it." He said carefully. A lightbulb went on in my head.

"Is that were Emmet and Rose were yesterday?" I asked. He nodded his head tensely, still avoiding my eyes. I almost felt like he was hiding something. "Edward, you need to tell me what you know." I said desperately.

"I don't know much." He started in a low growl. "You found her phone last night, right?" He asked.

"Yes, outside the Mill." How did he know that?

"Well that's probably not a good thing, Bella." He said. I could tell this was difficult for him, but hell it was a lot harder for me.

We were stopped in the parking lot outside the office. I could feel myself close to tears. He turned to look at me. "We will find out who's doing this and put a stop to it." He said in a very commanding voice. It was very convincing. "See you later Bella."

I plopped into my desk chair and looked around the office. Of course there was no sign of Esme. She tended to keep her blinds closed anyway, so you never knew if she was in there. Jess was staring at her screen with the look of someone who needed sleep, coffee or prozac. I decided to go make a pot of coffee before she went to find one of the more unsavoury guys in the factory. Mostly the expressions around me were ashen and dumbstruck.

That was until Jake arrived. He asked for me at reception so I went and collected him. There he was, in his overalls, looking very manly. Beside him was a fresh faced guy who could easily be his cousin. Another man with the same genes, and who also looked like he spent time in the gym.

"Izzy!" Jake called when he saw me. Marcie, the receptionist, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"We go way back." I explained. "Hey Jacob, how are you?"

"Oh I'm fantastic, how about you, you look tired?" I could see the other guy elbowing him in the ribs, his big brown puppy dog eyes were making me want to pat his head. "Oh, yeah, Izzy Swan, meet Seth. I'm trying to teach him how to fix stuff, but I'm not sure anything can stay in this thick head." He grabbed Seth around the shoulders. The younger man looked embarrassed.

"Great to finally meet you." Seth said taking my hand. "This knucklehead hasn't shut up about you all week." Now it was Jacob's turn to be embarrassed.

"Yeah, uh, let's get to work, shall we? He asked.

I lead them into our office, and their brightness rubbed off on everyone in the room. Before long they had the AC unit in pieces and then diagnosed the problem. Jake approached my desk holding something that resembled a mechanical squid.

"So I'm gonna need to replace this motor." He said, triumphantly holding forth the offending article.

"How long will that take?" I asked with a smile.

"I think I have one back home, I'm gonna take a look tonight, come back tomorrow if that's ok?" He showed me his bright white teeth, extenuated by his dark skin.

"Well I guess we don't have much choice, do we?" I replied in mock anger. "Better hurry though, don't want us to freeze in here, do you?"

"Ha, freeze?" He laughed. Now he was perched on the edge of my desk.

"We don't exactly like the cold in here you know." I told him.

"So how are you, really?" He asked quietly. "You look like you need a good night's rest."

"Thanks." I said running my hand through my hair. Had I remembered he was coming I would maybe have made more of an effort on my appearance. "Just a lot on my mind."

"Yeah, didn't one of the girls from the office go missing?" He was serious now, which was almost strange to see on his usually energetic face.

"Yes, Leigh. She sits over there." I pointed. We both looked across the room. It was at that point that I saw Edward standing there, by the door. How long had he been there? He was moving in our direction.

Jake was laughing at Seth. "Looks like your friend has a new admirer." He said. He pointed to Seth who was perched on Jess's desk in a similar way to which Jake was perched on my own. He was in free flow, and I couldn't tell if Jess was being polite, which wouldn't be normal for her, or if she was too tired to protest. Then again there could be the improbable. But I doubted that she was into him. Mike was watching the whole thing unfold carefully. He was not impressed.

Then I noticed Edward was standing right in front of me, staring Jacob down. Oh dear, probably better step in here.

"Hi Eddy, can I help you?" I saw him flinch a little. He hated me calling him that, so I intended to do it all the more. It could become a useful weapon.

"I have some documents I need putting together, please." He said with a very tight jaw. His eyes never left Jake, who was now staring right back. Oh dear god, was this going to turn into a testosterone battle? Please not here.

"Sure, I'll have it done this afternoon." I took the papers with a smile. He seemed slightly pacified by that. "See you at lunch?" I asked.

"Sure." He said, much more brightly. He offered a smug look to Jake.

"Now that is one serious guy." Jake said once he was out of earshot. I did notice him flinch though, as if it had been whispered in his ear.

"He means well." I replied.

"You guys going out?" He asked casually. I noticed Edward had stopped in his tracks. Better be careful now.

"You know, it's complicated." I said.

"You know what's not complicated?" He asked grinning, gesturing between the two of us. It was not a question. Edward stormed out slamming the door.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. It's not been long." I said. "And like you say, he is a serious person."

"You could do better." He beamed. "Anyway, let's go save your friend, shall we?"

I smiled. "Sure, she looks like she needs help." Jess was looking a little tense. Seth was not picking up on it. We walked over. I noticed Alex stop breathing as we passed his desk.

"Ok buddy, looks like we're done for now." Jake told his friend.

"Aw man." Seths face fell.

"No worries though, we're coming back in the morning." Seth lit up. I saw the relief wash away from Jess. She wasn't impressed. I gave her a wink and she stared daggers at me.

"I'll se you guys out." I said. "You know we have some stuff around the house needs fixing, if you're up to it?" Jess looked confused. We continued as we walked back to reception.

"Sure, just call me." Jake said, smiling.

"Y'know, feel free to call me, too." I said, handing him a post it with my number on. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but it felt right.

He was too shocked to speak right away, so a grinning Seth lead him to the door. "See you tomorrow." He said. I smiled as they left, watching them make their way to the battered van. Was I going crazy?

When I went back to the office Jess was not happy. "Jobs around the house?" She said in an accusatory tone.

"Well..." I said by way of an explanation. All I could offer was an apologetic face.

Lunchtime was a quiet affair. Emmet and Rose were still missing and Alice and Jasper were staring at people in the quad in a slightly unsettling way. We had chatted casually for a while, Edward asking me questions about things that I found boring. I gathered he was trying to get to the kind of thoughts that he could so easily access in other people, so I allowed it. The stuff he was pumping me for was pretty dull anyway. Stuff like college, my old job, My mom.

Then things took a turn. "So who was the repair man?" He asked darkly.

"Oh that's Jake. We go way back."

"I don't like him." He growled again. How odd.

"Well that's too bad, because I do." I said happily. For some reason I found making Edward angry entertaining. Almost like tormenting a dog and keeping it just out of reach.

"Be careful." He said staring me straight in the eyes.

"I will." I said, staring straight back.

"Can you ride home with Jess tonight?" He asked.

"Yes. Why?" I asked. A sinking feeling started in the pit of my stomach. As fun as he was to tease, I enjoyed his company. I felt safe. He would hate that.

"Alice and I are going out for a bite to eat this afternoon." He said quietly.

"Ooh, can I come?" I asked. Horror spread across his beautiful marble face.

"No." Well, I guess that was that then.

"Ok, whatever, I'll jump in with Jess." I stood to leave. The whistle had just sounded.

"Bella?" I stopped and looked into his deep dark eyes. "Please be careful." I nodded and walked out of the quad, fully aware of his eyes on my ass. I wished I had worn my tight pants.

Nothing much happened in the afternoon, except Jess literally falling asleep on her keyboard. She just let go and started snoring. It took a few of us to move her, and she needed coffee before she was able to talk again. Probably for the best I would be driving.

We discussed what to do with the evening between the group and it was decided that we should skip the Mill. It was bingo night and that would bring out all the townsfolk. Instead we opted to go to Alex's flat for an impromptu party.

Well it wasn't much of a party, but there was plenty of wine. Alex's poodle spent most of the night yapping at Mike, and Jess passed out on the couch.

"So those guys are from the reservation?" Tess asked.

"Yeah, Jake is an old friend, and Seth is his good friend." I told her. She was leaning casually against a doorframe.

"You into him?" She asked. That was classic Tess, blunt and to the point.

"He's a nice guy and he was there for me a long time ago."

"I like his little buddy, he seems funny." An emotional discussion with Tess was a rare situation. I wasn't sure how to act. To be honest I had been wondering if she was even into guys at all.

"Well I can set you up if you like, they're coming back in the morning." I said.

She laughed. "Ok, let's see what happens shall we? I'm just sick of the guys in the town." She sounded jaded. She had only lived in Forks a few years, moving from Michigan via the University of North Dakota. I guess she was following the work.

Soon enough it was time to go. On the drive home I was sure I saw the same headlights in my rear view a few times, but it was late and I was tired. Night driving always freaked me out.

There was an uneasy feeling of being watched when we walked up the path, but that was starting to feel somewhat commonplace. We tried to ignore the disappearances, but they left you feeling nervous and edgy.

As soon as we got in I almost carried Jess to bed. She thanked me and dropped off almost immediately. The last thing she muttered to me before nodding off was "Please don't let me get stuck with Seth tomorrow. He's sweet, but..." She trailed off and zonked out.

I took my time in the shower before getting down, making sure I was wrapped up in my warm pyjamas, and sat reading a book for a while. When I was ready I snapped off the light and nodded off myself.

In my dream I met a man with long blonde hair and a forgettable face. It was so plain it could be blank, but that I would remember.

He stared at me with dark intentions. Edward and Jake were there too, both shirtless. Jake stood what seemed like three feet taller, but I knew this was just my mind. He was ripped while Edward was lean and solid. I shuddered.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Before we get started with chapter 13 I just want to say thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my story over the holiday period. I appreciate it more than you know!_**

Cool morning light was filtering through my window. The layer of clouds was thin, but still cast iron, letting through a hazy light that threw my room into haphazard shadows. I got up and prepared for the day, pulling on a good blouse and long skirt. I was determined to show my legs for Jake, but that was about as far as I ever went. Until I got to my bedroom door and Jess was standing there shaking her head at me.

"You like this guy, right?" She asked.

"Sure." I nodded.

"Then come with me." She said, leading me into her room. She went to her closet and pulled out a skirt a good five or six inches shorter than mine which was slightly longer than knee length.

"Jess!" I said, but she completely ignored me, pulling out a pair of shoes that matched my blouse pretty well. "Jess!"

"Just shut up and put them on." She ordered.

I felt pretty silly when I went downstairs, but Jess was very encouraging, telling me it was the best was to snag my guy. I kept telling her I wanted to take my time, but she simply wouldn't hear of it. As I ate my cereal I picked up my phone, noticing a text. It was from Jacob.

'Hi Izzy, just to let you know we will be there after lunch. Look forward to seeing ya!'

Well at least that gave me all morning to compose myself. I thought for a moment, looking at Jess as she sipped her coffee. I typed a reply.

'Ok J, see you then. Oh and tell Seth to move onto Tess, the redhead. Just saying. B'

I smiled at her and she looked up. "What?" I just shook my head and kept smiling. Hopefully I had just solved her problem.

All thoughts of Jake evaporated when I looked out the window to see the silver AMG sitting on the kerbside. Jess was looking over my shoulder.

"My, aren't we popular?" She said, ginning. "You fox!" I turned an unflattering shade of crimson.

"Come on." I pulled on my jacket and opened the door. Jess strolled down the drive to my truck, giving Edward a little wave as she did so, leaving me to lock the door and walk to the Mercedes. I slipped into the passenger seat, noticing straight away that he was turned towards me. His eyes were the colour of fresh honey. I was lost in them for a moment, until he spoke, his warm, buttery voice.

"Morning." He said. "Sleep well?"

"Honestly? Not so much. I keep having these strange dreams."

He was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. "Probably these disappearances."

"It's unsettling." I said quietly. "What do you know about them?"

"I know that it's something we are looking into. Emmet told me last night he caught a scent, but whoever it is, they are careful. He's been struggling to find anything much in the way of a lead."

"And Rose?"

"She's working the human angle, talking to people in town, and moving further afield, but she hasn't turned anything up either." He looked me in the eyes, a tinge of worry hung there. "We'll find them." He said, sincerely.

I shivered at the thought of someone able to elude these creatures. It was rather worrisome.

When we got to the office we went our separate ways. Edward promised he would see me shortly. In the office there was chatter about the Seattle trip. There had been a development that Angela had a family situation to take care of so we would be pushing it back. I hoped it would still happen, although that didn't seem to be a question, as every day a new person agreed to come. This was really turning into a big event. Mike was starting to get into serious planning mode.

After an hour or so I took a call from Edward asking me to go over and see him, so I took a walk across in the chilly morning air. Until this point I hadn't felt at all conscious about what I was wearing, but suddenly I realised, and the nerves hit me. Why was I so nervous? I had spent plenty of time with him now, and I even saw him in the morning.

I sat with him as he showed me a couple of things he wanted doing, then we chatted. He asked yet more questions and I could tell that he was trying to put together all of the things he would normally just waltz into a persons mind and take without asking. I must admit, it was kind of fun to be in control of what information he got, but some of the time I was powerless against his voice, and he could tell this, using it to his advantage. It was turning into a game of back and forth, and I was determined not to give in.

It continued through lunch, and I noticed Jess winking at me.

"You know Jess think's you're quite the player." He said, a crooked smile playing across his face.

"She enjoys helping me." I said, almost by way of an apology.

"She's happy with the outfit." He said, looking me over admiringly.

I could feel my cheeks burning. I tried to pull the skirt down, but soon realised it was impossible.

"She did a good job." He said, smiling warmly, the golden galaxies of his eyes were sparkling playfully.

"I'll tell her you appreciate it." I said gruffly.

"She's also excited for this afternoon." He said, more dark now.

"Oh, well, you know." I said. He shook his head. He didn't know.

"I don't like him." He said, deep and menacing. Woah there, easy tiger.

"We had this discussion." I said, moving to stand up. He took my hand, his grip ice cold, but rock hard, like steel.

"Just be careful." He said, pleading with his eyes.

"I promise." I said just before the whistle sounded. I stood and headed back to my office.

As I got back to my desk I noticed the light on my phone was flashing so I rushed forward to scoop it up. It was reception. Apparently there was hunky gentleman asking to see me. I tried unsuccessfully to keep the smile off my face as I walked back through the office. I met eyes with Jess who grinned and gave me a cheeky wink. This was going to be an interesting afternoon.

Jake and Seth were standing in reception waiting for me, a large box on the floor at their feet. When he saw me come around the corner Jake lit me up with a big smile. He was dressed in his same coveralls, but the top part was tied around his waist showing his vest, which restrained his well toned chest and arms. I caught my breath for a moment. When he saw that he laughed.

"Good afternoon Miss Swan." He said happily.

"Hi Jake, how are you? Hey Seth." Seth held up his hand. He was busy eating a sandwich and ad his mouth too full to speak.

"I am excellent, and I see you are too..." He waved his hand at me and I knocked it away playfully.

"Come on." I said, leading them to the office. Jake walked and talked while Seth trailed behind carrying the box.

The work didn't take them very long to complete, the AC unit was soon back to full power. They did stay for a while though, Seth moving his attentions on to Tess who enjoyed the attention. Jake and I just chatted about old times, the summers of growing up together as small children, how he had taken to the repair business, how I was enjoying my work and my colleges, how he hoped to one day run the casino. It was a nice afternoon. I promised to call him as they left, and I noticed Seth left with a scrap of note paper, which I assumed Tess had given him.

Shortly after I had left my phone rang again. It was Edward.

"Has he gone?" He asked. I got the impression he already knew the answer but that he was testing me.

"Who would that be Ed?" I asked innocently. Really, he could be talking about anyone.

"The Quillte." He snapped. Oh, looks like we hit a nerve here.

"Yes Eddy, Jake has gone." I said with a smile on my face.

"Good. How are you doing with my project?" Oh so he really was checking up on me. His voice had lightened though, as soon as I had told him Jake was gone a better humour had filled his voice.

"It's coming along. Should be done by tomorrow lunch like you asked."

"Great. Let me know if you need any help." We said our goodbyes and hung up.

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. Everyone had decided to have a night in tonight. I was under the impression Tess might be speaking to Seth, and Mike, Angela and Eric had spent a while trying to talk Jess into joining them online on some game or other. I wasn't very interested to be honest, I was more focused on the trip home.

At the final whistle I walked to the AMG where he was waiting, casually leaning on it like a model. His look was so effortless it made me feel like a slob, despite mine and Jess's best efforts this morning. At least Jake had noticed. And pretty much every other guy at work. We got in and he pulled out of the lot.

"You look nice today." He said, not turning.

"Thank you." I blushed a little. "How was your hunt?"

"I bagged a lion. He was tasty." End of subject. He really didn't want to talk about it. His eyes were much softer today, no longer black like a shark. "So I have a favour to ask." He said.

"Anything." That was far too quick, he could really ask anything.

"There is a meeting at the office on Monday and I need you to take notes." He looked at me seriously. His mouth was a thin line.

"Yes, of course." I was a little disappointed that it was a work thing.

"Great. It's really important." He said. Way to play it up.

We pulled up outside my house, and the truck was sitting on the drive, the living room light on. We sat in the car watching the rain fall on the windscreen while we chatted about anything and everything. He was asking all kinds of questions now, favourite foods, favourite colour. I was trying to work in some of my own but each time he would catch me out.

"Edward." I stopped him short. He looked at me expectantly. "Tomorrow I want you to tell me more about your life." He looked surprised and slightly cautious. He nodded slowly.

"Ok, but it's a long story." He said after a pause. His voice was quiet and soft.

"I look forward to hearing it." I said honestly. Then I noticed the clock on the dash. It was reading two minutes to midnight. "Oh my god look at the time." I said. "I better get to bed."

We said goodnight and I went into the house. While he was sitting watching from the Mercedes I felt safe, there was no sign of the feeling of being watched. I went inside to find Jess sat on the sofa in the living room, laptop on her knee, headset on, furiously tapping at the keys. She looked up and nodded. I waved happily and gestured to the stairs, she tore her hand away from the keyboard and gave me a wave. I set off upstairs. Modern conversation isn't what it used to be.

That night the faceless man was prowling in my dreams again, and with him was a woman with a shock of red hair. All night as I slept I had a feeling of anxiety. I decided I should maybe try drinking more.


	14. Chapter 14

The first thing I noticed when I got out of bed was a text on my phone. I checked it out, and it was from jake.

'Hi. ;-)' He had sent it sometime after midnight. I couldn't leave him hanging.

'Hi. Call you after work.' I hit send and got myself dressed with a smug smile on my face. I didn't know what I was going to say after work, but I was going to call him and that was for certain.

As I walked down the stairs I could hear the voices of the TV news. I stuck my head into the living room to see Jess sat on the sofa, a half eaten bowl of cereal in one hand, the remote in the other. Her face was very pale, and her eyes were fixed on the local news report.

"They found her." She said in a robotic voice. "They found Leigh."

I had to sit before I fell. I couldn't speak, I just fixed my eyes on the TV where the reporter was discussing the events of the evening. Leigh had been found by the river and police were looking for information on the killer. They wanted to speak to anyone who had seen Leigh. Then it cut to a pre recorded interview with Charlie who looked very tired. He also looked really uncomfortable in front of the camera. He shifted nervously and coughed a lot, but he made a strong appeal for calm, and for anyone with any information to come forward. I felt for him. Most of his career had been simple public duty, but now the shit was hitting the fan he was being asked to step up. I hoped he was up to it.

I talked Jess into getting dressed and we left the house, seeing the silver Merc sitting kerbside waiting for me. When I looked at Jess I didn't think she should be driving, so I told her to come with me. I opened the passenger door and pulled the seat forward, motioning for her to get in.

"Morning Edward. Jess is coming with us today, hope you don't mind." I said as I climbed into the car. He was simply looking at me with a bemused expression on his face. I slammed the door shut and held out my hand. "Drive?"

"Uh, ok..." He muttered as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the house. "So you heard the news?" His face was neutral, unreadable.

"Yes Edward, we heard the news." Jess was silent in the back. I turned to check on her. She had her hands in her lap and her eyes were wide like saucers.

"Well it's being investigated." He said, in a flat tone. I guessed he didn't want Jess to pick up on what he was telling me.

"I hope so. As you can see it has us pretty freaked out. It's too close."

He looked at me, the caramel eyes were hypnotic again. "You know you should stay close to me." He said. I didn't like the way he said that. "There are all kinds of people around."

"Yes, I get that. Is this person...?" I asked, trying to be subtle.

"Kind of." That was about as much of an answer I was going to get out of him.

"What do you mean I should stay close?" I asked, starting to stress.

"I mean you seem to have trouble looking after yourself, and you would be wise to keep me close by." Now I really wasn't happy with him. He really knew how to push my buttons.

"Really?" I asked, raising my voice. "Are you trying to say you want to get me alone?"

"Well that's kind of the idea." In retrospect he was probably just messing with me, but in my fragile mental state I took it totally the wrong way. We had just pulled into the parking lot at work.

"My god Edward, really!" I was getting madder by the minute.

It was then that he fixed me with a stare and a wicked smile played on his lips. What the hell was wrong with him. I got out and all but pulled Jess out after me, slamming the door. Had that been what I had thought it was? Had he really just confessed to killing my friend? I mean, I knew what he was and what he was capable of, it certainly wasn't beyond the realm of possibility and I was shocked that I had only just put the pieces together.

I marched Jess to our office without looking back at Edward, but I could feel his eyes on me as I walked. Jess was too shell shocked to notice anything.

The office was silent, and the mood was sombre. Nervous glances were shared amongst everyone, but nobody wanted to talk about the situation. Then I spotted Carlisle speaking to Esme at the other end of the office. Their pasty white complexions matched Edwards, their eyes the same golden honey. Click, another piece fell into place. I had to get the hell out of there.

I sent a text to Jake. 'Hey, you busy?'

A few moments passed with me worrying about a plan B. Then my phone pinged. "Nah, sup?'

Cool. I replied quickly, my fingers stumbling over the words so the text took twice as long to type. 'Any chance of a Ride?'

'Sure. Where y'at?'

'Work.'

'See you in twenty.'

I hated to use him like this, but I honestly didn't want to spend another moment in the office and he was the only one I could think of. There was no way I was troubling Charlie with this, he had enough to worry about.

Fifteen minutes passed and I closed down my PC, walking up to Esme's office. I poked my head in and she looked up. "Oh Hi Bella.:

"Um is it ok if I take a personal day, I'm not feeling well." I said in my best ill person voice.

"Sure. You go look after yourself." Just as I was about to leave she said "be safe." It was in a strange tone, almost cold. I felt a chill run down my spine.

I told Jess I was leaving and she said she would get a ride with Mike who seemed very keen on that idea.

After a few moments waiting in reception I heard the roar of an old engine as a dirt bike came rolling into the yard. Jake jumped off the back as I went out to meet him. "Here." He said, tossing me a helmet. "Fastest mode of transport I could find. Built it myself." It was impressive for a self build, all shiny chrome. I guessed it had been a while since he had ridden it on mud.

I climbed on and gripped his waist as he gunned the engine. The greenery of Forks flashed past as we ripped along the road, the wind blowing my hair behind me. I wished I had bothered to tie it up before we set off.

The ride didn't take long and he followed me up the drive to the house. Neither of us spoke as I unlocked and let us in, immediately brewing a fresh pot of coffee and placing a mug in front of him. He smiled that wide smile that seemed to light up the room. Maybe the sun didn't make many appearances in forks, but his smile was bright enough to compensate.

"So, you gonna tell me whats up?" He said, still smiling only not quite so broadly.

"They found Leigh." I said softly. I could feel tears starting to form.

"Oh, she was one of your friends, wasn't she?"

"Yes. I liked her. She was nice." I was shaking a little and he moved from the chair to the sofa next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders. It was thick and warm, and instantly I felt better.

"But that's not all?" He could evidently read me well.

"Ed Cullen gave me a ride to work today. I know what he is Jacob, I think he did it. Him and his family." Now there were hot tears streaking down my cheeks. I was a mess, but he didn't let go. If anything his grip was tighter.

"You know what they are then?" Oh come on, you all but told me.

"Yes." I sniffed.

"Well let me put that one to bed for you." I could tell he didn't really want to tell me this, but he was going to anyway. "It isn't the Cullen's. Hey wouldn't violate the treaty, and they dont eat humans anyway." He smiled his wonderful warm smile.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"The treaty with my people states that if they feed off any human then the whole thing is void. But that's just a safety net. They only hunt animals. Trust me, we've observed them for years.

I was suddenly calm and relaxed. "So who's doing this Jake?"

"Don't know. It's a hot topic, but we don't seem to be turning anything up."

I put my head on his chest and he lay back on the sofa stroking my hair. We stayed like that for a long time and I was really glad he didn't try and push for anything more. It was mid afternoon when he moved. I think I had nodded off, because the time had passed too quickly.

"Holy shit, sorry Izzy, I have to go. I should be over at the town hall right now." He picked up his helmets and headed for the door. "Text me, call me. Anything." And he was gone.

I found something to eat and sat staring at the TV again. Most of my worry had gone now, and I was starting to analyse Edwards behaviour from this morning. It struck me that he was actually trying to be light hearted.

Just as I was about to get a new cup of coffee there was a gentle knock on the door. It was still and hour before quitting time so I was naturally cautious. I went to the door and looked through the spy hole, Even distorted by the circular glass, Edward was still a thing of beauty. I opened the door and ushered him in.

"How are you?" He asked. " Esme said you weren't well.

"Feeling much better now." I was. I had washed my face earlier and it helped me feel more fresh.

"Good. I was worried." His face was painted with concern. "The way you were this morning was scary."

"Well you're a fine one to talk. The way you were in the car, I thought it was you." He looked at me confused. He was only sitting a few feet away, in the chair where Jake had been earlier.

"I was trying to help." He said thoughtfully. Then he laughed, the sound of a summer stream. "But thinking back I can see how that maybe wasn't the best approach.

I laughed too and he took my hand in his cold stone grip. We sat like that for a little while, me telling him how I had thought his whole family were responsible for the killings, him telling me how he had worried when Esme told him I had left early. Then there was a knock at the door and he winced. Before I could react he was on his feet and in the hallway. I heard the door open and then soft voices. Then the sound of heels.

I was surprised to see his sister Alice come walking into the room, a big sympathetic smile on her face. Edward did not look pleased, but he had evidently lost the argument. She looked around the room, which I suddenly realised was in no state for visitors, then she looked at me.

"Bella, how are you? We were worried."

"I told you, she's fine." Growled Edward.

"I told you I wanted to see for myself." She growled back.

"She thinks you were talking to someone earlier." He muttered. " Someone who could be a danger."

I laughed. "Jake? Dangerous? Fuck no, he is so very cool." The words tumbled out and I saw Alice trying hard not to laugh.

"Sweetie, I, er, thought I saw something..." Alice stammered. Edward put a hand on her arm.

"She knows about mine, she may as well know yours too." He told her firmly. Alice nodded. "Alice can see the future. It changes, but she gets visions." Alice nodded as he spoke. I just sat there, stunned. Finally I summoned some words.

"Don't call me sweetie, I'm older than you... kind of." We all laughed, and the tension was broken.

For a long time they sat and told me about Alice and her visions, explaining that sometimes they were difficult to interpret. I explained that I spoke with Jake and they exchanged a knowing glance. I could't coax a response out of them. Then Alice fell silent, a strange expression on her beautiful, elfin face. Then she spoke, her face a picture of seriousness.

"Monday. We'll meet them."

"That's all?" He asked.

"Yes. For now. Three of them."

"Ok, then we'll see what happens." He stood. "We should go. Your room mate is here."

I looked at the clock and it was late. There was a clattering at the door and I could hear a tittering. Then it opened and Jess came pouring into the room with Mike in tow. The latter saw my guests and gave Edward a frosty nod, who returned the favour. Alice broke the temporary silence.

"Glad you're feeling ok Bella, see you Monday."

Edward followed her to the door, leading me by the hand. "I'll come see you tomorrow." he said, and I nodded. Suddenly I couldn't bear the thought of a weekend without him.

Jess took Mike upstairs shortly after, and I decided I should get to bed. I slept in headphones that night. Yet another breakfast to dread.


	15. Chapter 15

I had to get out of the house. I was awoken by the sounds of bedroom gymnastics and I really didn't need to hear that. I threw on the first clothes I could find and rushed downstairs chased by the sound of Mike's voice. I found a bag and threw a few food items into it. Some bread and cheese and the leftover pasta and meatballs I had made a few nights ago and left in the freezer. Then I pulled on my jacket and shoes and got the hell out of there.

I drove down to Charlie's and knocked on the door. He opened it after a few minutes and beckoned me in. He looked really tired, his moustache blending into the stubble on his chin.

"How's the TV star?" I asked as I sat at the kitchen table, laying out the food I had brought. "I figured you might not have time to cook or shop."

"It's not good Bells. The family of the Mason girl are chasing me to find answers and I'm coming up totally blank." He rubbed his face. "To make matters worse we found another body last night."

I couldn't say or think anything. I sat there with a blank expression.

"We're struggling to identify the guy, looks like he might be a trucker or even a drifter, but hell that don't make it right." He sighed.

I felt a relief wash over me. It wasn't someone I knew. That was a good thing. Well, someone was missing a dad or a son, which was terrible, but from a selfish point of view it was ok to breathe again. He saw me relax and took the seat opposite me, inspecting my offerings.

"I was just so worried dad." I said, trying to explain myself. "I mean the thing with Leigh was terrible."

"I've never known anything like this, Bells. You be careful out there."

I nodded. "So you don't have any leads?" I asked.

"Not really." He sipped his coffee. "The only thing we have is that Carlisle says he might be on to something, and if he is then I trust him to help out."

I said nothing, trying not to give myself away.

"I hear you've been spending time with his boy Edward?" I almost choked. Where in the hell did that come from?

"Well he gives me a ride to work some days..." I really did not know what to say to that,

"He's a nice guy. Quiet but really solid." Oh come on, was he trying to pair me off now? "Speaking of, I was talking to Billy last night." He let his words trail off. I gulped. Oh what, more love life stuff?

"Billy Black?" I didn't have to ask, I knew full well. Jake's dad was Charlie's best friend, and that went back as far as I could recall.

"Mmm hmm." He nodded. "Says Jake spent some time at your place yesterday." Oh shit. I was rumbled. I guessed he would want to small talk me.

"Jake is a great guy." I said, almost in defence. "Remember when he helped me out that time I drove up here?"

He started laughing a big, bear like laugh. That weekend had been something of a crazy one for me, and Charlie had loved every minute of it. I figured it was because he got to see one of my big coming of age experiences.

"So you think you might, I don't know, try getting to know one of these guys a little better?" He was smiling now, and I could feel my cheeks burning.

"Jesus dad, should you really be asking me this stuff?"

"Well I had your mom on the phone last week asking me if you were seeing anyone. She seemed to want updates." He looked at me with big brown puppy dog eyes. The same ones that had snagged my mom. "I'm just gathering data..."

We both laughed. "Shit dad, leave the reporting to the news guys eh?" He nodded. It was nice to chat openly with him. I almost felt like the tragedy in town had left him feeling so out of sorts he was actually enjoying the normality of a chat with his daughter.

Then my mobile dinged. I looked down and it was an unknown number.

'Hi Bella, it's Edward, could I see you please? Things to talk about. And show. If so, meet me.' There was a link to the map. His address came up. I saved his contact details and looked up to see a big pair of expectant eyes staring back at me.

"Which one?" He asked. Geez was I that obvious?

"Edward. Wants me to go see him." I said softly. I wasn't sure if I was even going to go yet. The message was so cryptic. So Edward.

"You better get a move on then." He said, smiling broadly. "Do your due diligence Bells, don't settle or you'll never be happy." I nodded, standing.

"Well, it's been nice dad, we should do this more often." He looked excited about the idea. "Enjoy the food. Remember to eat." I collected my jacket, kissed him goodbye and headed down the drive.

As I got to my truck a blue van pulled up in front of me, almost entirely composed of rust. The figure behind the wheel was a familiar one. Heavy set, long black hair. His deep wrinkles were much deeper than the last time I saw him, but there was no mistaking those timeless eyes.

Billy Black stepped out of the drivers side and slowly limped towards me. "Izzy? Is that you?" His voice was ancient. He did not look happy.

"Hi Billy, how are you?" I hugged him. I spent many a childhood on his back yard.

"I've been batter. Sure business is good down at the casino, but life gets hard. There is no glory in old age." He coughed, almost as if to extenuate his point.

"You look good Billy." For his age, he did. He was older than dad. They had come together as two authority figures in the community.

"Thanks Izzy." He smiled for a half second, then was serious again. "Listen, I'm glad I ran into you, I need to tell you something." I didn't like the sound of this. "The Cullen boy will be trouble for you. Be careful Izzy. I would advise you to forget him. Move on. It would be best all around."

I suddenly felt a hot rage fill me. "Really, Billy?" I said in a calm voice. "I hope Jake put you up to this." He shook his head solemnly. "Oh my god."

Before he could say anything else I was in the truck, the engine roaring. I pulled away and watched him in my rear view. Even as he faded into the distance he seemed to be full of resent. I feared he would be talking to Charlie soon. I would call him later and make something up.

As I drove to the address that Edward had sent me Billy's words played on my mind. What the hell? I mean I knew about him. I knew what he was, and for some reason I was not afraid of him in the slightest. The way Billy had spoken I felt that I should be scared, but I just couldn't find it inside myself.

As I drove I could feel the worry of the previous day welling up inside. Charlie seemed totally happy with the Cullen's but the words of Billy had set me on edge. Could my instinct from the day before be right? Could the Cullen's be behind the killings? I was talking myself back into it and I knew it was nonsense.

I barely noticed the lack of buildings and the increased number of trees. What I did notice was the figure on the roadside. Edward was standing there by the turn to what I assumed was his driveway. He waved so I pulled over and let him climb into the passenger seat.

"So what's up?" I asked, sat facing him, trying had to conceal my intrigue.

"Drive." He pointed forwards. Fair enough. He wanted to go for a drive, we would go for a drive. "Can this thing go any faster?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"Hey, dont bag on the truck man." I said happily. Somehow things felt good. It was just coming up to eleven. I hadn't realised how early it had been when I had intruded on Charlie's life.

"You know, I could arrange something faster for you." He said, his tome playful.

"Nah, that's ok. I like this. Charlie gave her to me. And Jake refurbished her." I caught a flicker of annoyance in his eyes.

"Ok, we'll work on that." He sounded very sure and I wasn't too happy about it.

We were quiet as we drove along, him giving me directions here and there until we pulled in to a small parking lot among some trees.

"On foot from here." He said jumping out of the truck. In the blink of an eye he was opening my door. I got out and followed him as he plunged into the trees.

I hadn't really paid attention to the weather today, but now I realised it was trying to be a nice day. There was only a thin layer of cloud and that looked like it was trying to clear off. Under the canopy of the forest it was warm, and here and there shafts of sunlight began to filter through.

I followed for a while, and as I was starting to think how hungry I was I walked out into a field. It was on a slope and there were bluebells growing all around. I spotted a blanket and walked towards it, then realised I was alone. I turned to see him standing in the shade. I walked back to him, curious.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Remember when you asked what sunlight would do to me?" He asked, totally serious.

"Yes?" I took his hand, planning to try and pull him along.

"Want to see?" He asked, a worried look on his face.

"You know I do." I lead him slowly out into the sun. During the walk he had taken off his shirt to reveal a vest, and that vest struggled to conceal brilliantly toned abs. As we came out into the sun I could see the light starting to refract around him. It caused almost a rainbow effect, shimmering into a rainbow. I thought it looked like he was made of crystal. And it was the most amazing, beautiful thing I had seen in my life.

My mouth hung open as I said "Holy shit."

His brow furrowed and he looked at me with worried eyes. I had offended him, I was sure. "It's terrible." He said softly.

"No." I shook my head. "It's beautiful." I looked into his eyes and he could tell I was telling the truth.

Lucky for me he had thought to bring some food because I was starving. He watched as I opened the basket and ate the sandwiches in there. He watched me, amusement playing in his eyes.

"So why in the world is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen sat watching me eat with goo goo eyes?" I asked, my mouth full of food. So classy.

"Because you are amazing Bella." He said, no hint of irony in his voice.

"I have no idea what makes you think that." I said.

"Well beside you being a mental enigma for me, and everything about you being fascinating? You smell so very good."

I looked at him. What?

"You know I went on that business trip because if I didn't you would be dead by now, and neither of us want that." I thought back. Really? Interesting.

"Not killing you is so hard, and the problem is that what I am invites you to want, no, need me to do it."

I was confused. I looked at him questioningly.

"My face, my body, everything I am is designed to pull you in."

"Wow." I laughed. "Over confident much?"

He looked at me, turning on the full smoulder. I was glad I was sitting because my knees turned to jell-o.

"See. Easy." He smiled a big, smug smile. I hated that.

"Well, I could walk away any time I want." I said, my voice breaking as I realised how utterly alone we were.

"Really?" He asked.

"Um..." I thought about his speed and strength. Maybe he had a point. I had come here of my own free will. Hell, I had butterflies the whole way.

"Every day I see you is a challenge. I know you would taste so very good, but I can't." He closed his eyes and leaned back. I put my head on my hand beside him.

"And why not?" I asked, putting on my best 'come hither and bite me' voice.

"Well for one thing I dont eat people. I told you that. For another, I don't want to break the treaty,"

"The treaty with the Quillete people?" I asked, smiling when he seemed surprised.

"Yes. How did you... Ah, Jake told you?" He didn't look happy.

"Not in so many words, but yes. Seems fair."

"So there we go. I fight my urges every day, but I feel so compelled to be near you, Bella. I would spend every moment with you if I could. If it made you happy I would." He was intense. His skin still sparkling in the sun.

Then the mood was broken in the worst way possible. The sandwiches had worked their way through me and I was unable to prevent the loud rasping fart from escaping. After a moments silence we both broke into hysterics.

The walk back was fast. Mainly because I spent the whole time on his back with my eyes closed. They were open when we set off but it scared the shit out of me, we moved so fast.

It was dark as I drove home. I spoke softly. "How did you become this?" I asked.

He sighed before he spoke. "I was working construction in Chicago. I had lived there my whole life, then the Spanish Flu hit. My wife and daughter contracted the flu before me. When Carlisle found us in the over crowded hospital it was already too late for them, and I thought it was too late for me. It was a time before we could beat these pandemics with science, so Carlisle beat it with his own venom. I writhed in that hospital bed for days, surrounded by the dead. The wing had been sealed in an attempt to control the spread. Carlisle took me out of there and helped me to cope. It has been a long time since I thought of them." The was a tear on his cheek.

"Edward, I'm sorry." So that explained his awkwardness. I was happy that he had shared this with me, but the story was a sad one, and I felt sorry for him. I was about to say something else when I noticed we were home. The lights were off and the house was dead. A feeling of dread came over me. "Jess!" I said, jumping out of the truck and running up to the house. I ran upstairs, calling her name, and there was no reply. It was very late, and I really had expected her to be home. Especially bearing in mind she would probably be with Mike.

Edward followed me up the drive, a smile on his face.

"What's funny?" I asked, out of breath.

"We drove past Newton's house, didn't we?" He asked.

"Yeah, over on Cedar."

"Don't worry about Jess, she won't be home tonight..." He grinned and winked.

"Oh." I paused. "OH!" Now I was laughing. Relief washed over me again. I could do without these rollercoaster rides of emotion.

"It's pretty lonely in there." I said, softly. "Want to come in?" He followed cautiously. Once I had the lights on and a glass of scotch in my hand he looked at me.

"I'm staying the night." He said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Really Mister Cullen? How very forward of you!" I said sarcastically.

He frowned. "I'm staying down here on the couch. Now get to bed." Really, I was being sent to bed? "For your protection. Please?" Oh now that I couldn't resist.

After about an hour of conversation which consisted of what it was like to live and not love in Phoenix I went to bed. When I was in my PJs I checked my phone for the first time in a while. There was one message. From Jake. From mid afternoon.

'Miss you.'


	16. Chapter 16

It was a strangely cold morning. I slid out of bed and headed for the shower, checking in on Jess on my way. She was not there. Oh, I guess she must have stayed the night with Mike. Well that was ok then, as long as she was safe. And it meant she hadn't run into... Oh my god, he had stayed the night, hadn't he?

I rushed downstairs and found him sitting in a chair in the living room watching sports centre. When I entered the room he tried his best not to laugh. I looked down and was mortified by my dirty old PJ's. Oh dear. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. I didn't even want to think about the state of my hair.

"Sleep well?" He asked, smirking.

"Very. You...?" I asked, trying for the ironic approach. He just shook his head as he smiled. "Want any breakfast?" I asked.

"I think I'm good." He said, still smiling. I opened the door to the kitchen and a wave of smell hit me. Oh my god, where had he found bacon? Had he been out to buy it? "I haven't cooked in a while so it may not be great." He said, standing and walking past me to the stove.

I took a seat and he placed a plate in front of me. The food was amazing. "How in the hell can you cook like that when you can't taste?" I asked.

"I know what tastes good, even if I can't taste it myself." He said.

"Oh, like a vegan cooking a steak?"

"Pretty much." he sat opposite me. "Did you hear from Jess?" He looked serious.

I looked down at my phone and there were a couple of messages. The first was from Jacob, so I tried my best to hide that one. I would check it later. The next was from mom. She was in Florida by now so her time zone was way in front of mine. She just wanted to know how I was, so I tapped a quick reply. Then I read out Jess's message.

"She says she's fine, stayed with Mike last night, will be home later." I looked up and smirked. "Shall I tell her I didn't spend the night alone?"

He almost choked. I laughed. Man he was uptight. I wished I could get him drunk just to loosen him up.

"Seriously though, what is this?" I asked. "I mean, you take me to and from work, you stay the night, you even cook me breakfast. Yet you don't want my best friend to know? Do we even class this as dating?"

He smiled. "I don't really know. It was a different time the last time I dated."

"How about the last time you screwed?"

He almost choked once again. "Well when I dated last that wasn't the kind of thing that the ladies would say."

I winked. "Well, how about it?"

"Um, I think that would be a tragically bad idea." Oh shitballs. I had kind of known this was coming, but still.

"Really, because I think it would be a great idea." What had gotten into me? I was never this forward.

He looked somewhat chagrined. I really wasn't going to get anywhere with this one, was I?

"It could be the death of you. Very probably." He said seriously, keeping eye contact. Jesus why did he have to be so hot.

"It would be a great way to go." I said in a husky voice. I knew my PJ's didn't really hold much in the way of sex appeal but damn I was going to give it my best shot.

"I really ought to go." He said standing. Fuck. I had really blown that one, hadn't I. Damn my hormones. Gotta keep them in check.

I saw him to the door and before he opened it he turned to me, now only a few inches away. Oh how smooth. His lips moved close to mine, his breath tasted sweet, his scent kicking my already burning libido into hyperdrive. I caught a handful of his hair and pulled him into a kiss. His lips were like cold steel, but his tongue moved like a cobra. Wow. After what felt like hours but was only moments he jerked away, moving for the door once more. His eyes still held me, entrancing. Mama mia.

"See you later." He whispered. and he was gone.

I walked back to the kitchen table and flopped into a seat. I didn't even realise I was still in my PJ's. My mind was blank, a thousand thoughts blasting across it but nothing was settling. Wow.

Then my phone beeped. It was mom again, just something boring about weather, but it prompted me to check my messages. Oh yeah, there was the one from Jake. I then remembered I had actually replied last night. I scrolled up, unsure of what I had said.

'Miss you too. Want to meet up tomorrow?' Ok, so I had made plans... that was fine.

'Sure, coffee sounds good? Around 11?' He was smooth, wasn't he? I looked at the clock. Ten fifteen. Cool. I typed a reply.

'See you there.'

I ran upstairs and started to get dressed. My mind was racing. I was really horny right now, and Edward had done nothing to help the situation. Was going to meet Jake a good idea? Probably not but I was going to do it anyway. If I were a guy I could say my dick was doing my thinking right now, but more is expected of girls... Oh crap. I mean, I wasn't a slut back in Phoenix, I rarely even dated let alone took guys to bed. Oh well...

The door slammed, snapping me out of my train of thought. Jess called me from the hall so I went down to greet her. I had on a tight sweater I had found at the bottom of my drawer and some snug jeans. She looked me over.

"Date?" She asked. I nodded, taking her in. She looked like hell. Heels in hand, clothes all rumpled, hair a birds nest and makeup none existent. "Go ahead, judge me." She said, grinning sheepishly.

"No, it's cool." I said with a knowing smile of my own. "You guys back on track?"

"We'll see." She thought for a moment. "Friends with benefits is nice."

"Can he deal with that? He seems a little... clingy?"

"I can train him." She said with a determined look on her face. "who you meeting?"

"Jake. Coffee."

She held out her shoes for me, the red heels. "You need these then."

I raised an eyebrow. "You know I can't walk in those things."

She countered my eyebrow with one of her own, and hands on hips to emphasise. "You'll be sitting. And lying down if things go to plan,am I right?" She winked. Gahh, did she have to be so helpful?

"Ok then." Took them and slipped them on, going up in the world several inches. "But if I break my neck you're paying the hospital bill."

She laughed. "Get out of here and get some action." Hell, were my hormones projecting that much?

I drove to the town centre with bare feet. Had I tried to drive in Jess's heels I would have caused a major pile up. The row of parking spaces down main street wasn't overly full and I managed to find a spot quite close to the Gathering Grounds. Cool. That would do. The walk was quite perilous, but I noticed Jake sitting there. He noticed me and I figured I should at least make an effort of the walk. Now what was it the models did? Stomp? Let's do it. I noticed he had a cup in front of him, so I sashayed past his table and up to the counter. I could feel his eyes on my ass. Good. I would have the advantage.

The kid who took my order tried to chat me up, but he gave it up when I rolled my eyes. Come on, just give me my caffeine. Edward's breakfast had been amazing but he hadn't bothered to put a pot on to brew. One major minus point there.

I plonked my cup down on the table and struggled into a stool. "Hi." I said as casually.

"Hey you." His big brown eyes caught mine. Was this really such a good idea.

"So what's going on?" I asked, taking a sip and immediately regretting the decision as I felt my lip burn.

"Nothin much, no work today. Couldn't stop thinking about this girl I know."

I put my elbows on the table and rested my chin on my hands. "Do tell. What's she like?"

"Oh she's like no one I ever met. So cool and funny." I Smiled. "A bit of a clutz..." I frowned. "But so cute with it." He flashed his brilliant teeth. Good save, Black.

"Sounds like you like this girl." I said softly.

"Yeah, I just wish she could make up her mind." He wasn't smiling now. How much did he know.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"I hear Cullen spent the night?" He almost sounded amused, but also slightly pissed.

"How in the hell did you know that?"

"Many spies have many eyes." He said, touching his nose.

"Fuck Jake, are you stalking me?" Now it was my turn to be pissed.

"Shit no, sorry I was trying to be funny." He took a drink. "Dad saw you two last night and one of my buds spotted him leaving this morning."

"Wow, do you guys all keep in touch or something?"

"Something like that." He smiled.

"Oh, ok then." I felt myself relax again. I could do without lots of stalkers.

"So, did he not do it for you?" He asked with a wink. Oh my god, really? I was worried about my hormones. Looks like I should have been worried about his.

"It wasn't like that." He looked incredulous. "No, it wasn't. He's worried about all these killings."

"Yeah." He scoffed. "So he should be."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He was doing a great job of killing my sex drive.

"It's one of his kind, we're pretty sure." He was serious now.

"Oh, and you think he brought them here?"

He shook his head. "No idea, but it would make sense that they're drawn to each other."

"So what are you saying?"

"I don't know, but just be careful around him, please. For me?" Now his face was soft again. He had his hair down today and it framed his face beautifully.

"Can we talk about something else?" I asked.

So we spent a few hours discussing family and work. He was enjoying working for his dad, the freedom it allowed him, and he liked to fix things. He told me he had worked all over town and there were only a few people he hadn't done work for. Seth was coming along well too, and he looked forward to sending him off on his own.

Then his phone rang around one. He grabbed it and after a short conversation he hung up. "Shit, sorry Iz, I gotta go. Dad says the signs are down at the casino. I told him to buy decent ones but he never listens."

He stood and went to kiss me on the cheek but I anticipated his move and turned to greet him, catching him in a full kiss. It was warm and soft, the complete opposite of Edward. When we released he looked at me, his eyes soft again.

"Later." He said. Phew. He looked like leaving was hard work. I figured this one would have no issues with accompanying me to the bedroom. Hell, I knew from experience.

As I was standing to leave a familiar face appeared across the table. It was Alice and she was holding two coffee cups. "You drink foamy latte?" She asked, placing one cup in front of me. I sat back down.

"Yeah, thanks." She was in her running gear. I had no idea if she had just arrived or if she had been there a while.

"How are you?" She asked, a big smile on her pixie face.

"I'm great Alice, but I don't know why everyone keeps asking me that."

"We just care about you. Hell, we care about everyone here." She had one of those faces you couldn't help but like. She could crash my car and I wouldn't be mad at her.

"Seems like everyone is the same here." Small town mentality I guess.

"Plus you seem to be special. You know you're the first girl I've ever known Edward to like?"

I blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. He really likes you Bella. He finds it hard to express himself. He's from a time when feelings were kept bottled up inside and he seems a little stuck in that way of thinking."

"You seem more modern." I noted.

"Well yeah. I would be stupid not to be. I love tech and I love shopping. Check this out." She showed me her apple watch. It was reading her distance run but there was no pulse on there. "It acts a little screwy with me. You can use it if you want? I just want to see it in action."

I laughed. "Alice, I only ever run to the bar."

She tittered a high laugh that was like a million fairies. "Oh yeah I guess so."

"Do you want to come to the bar tonight? You should hang out with us. I think you could kick it with the gang." I smiled. She looked unsure.

"I don't know. I'm not that well practised in groups. I might embarrass you?"

I laughed again. "Shit, Alice I manage that for myself. Don't worry, just come down and meet us."

We agreed to meet up later and I hobbled out to my truck. I felt her watching me, and turned to look. She was trying so hard not to laugh. I decided right then that I really liked her.

After a bite to eat out of the microwave Jess and I set off for the bar. It was fairly crowded now that it was the only one in town. It did mean that we would be drinking with the factory guys, something that didn't really bother me providing Tyler didn't harass me, but some of the guys, notably Eric and Alex, were less impressed.

We all had drinks and were chattering about Seattle when Alice came bounding up to our circle. I used my elbow to shove Tess, making room for the newcomer.

"You guy's know Alice, right?" I asked. She was grinning her biggest grin. How could they not love that. She also held a bottle of bud.

The response was generally positive, Eric especially seemed very interested until another figure appeared behind her. It was Jasper. I hadn't really met him yet, and he seemed very quiet now, just standing at Alice's elbow with a glass of bourbon in hand. He nodded at the guys who nodded back. It was all very masculine, but then a calm feeling fell over us all. Strange. It almost felt like that time I had smoked weed at college.

I looked around and saw Edward standing at the bar with Emmet and Rose. In this setting Emmet was huge. He was towering over the guy next to him, a factory worker who obviously spent a lot of time at the gym. They were chatting, and as I went over I could hear the conversation was relating to weights and equipment. At least he was mingling. Rose was sitting on a bar stool looking very aloof, like this whole scene was beneath her. She looked down her nose at me as I approached.

"Hello." I said. It was easier to walk and talk now I was in sneakers.

""Nice afternoon?" He asked, fixing me with those amazing golden eyes.

"Yes, thanks. Caught up on some laundry, nothing exciting."

"Did you get the PJ's clean?" He asked with a smirk. Rose's head snapped to him. She looked horrified. He just grinned. Great, make her hate me even more, please.

"Yes, thank you." I smiled. He looked kind of funny in this environment, cradling a very campy looking cocktail.

We chatted for a while, just covering some more mundane stuff. Then he looked at me seriously. "Tomorrow's meeting is important, Bella. I need you there." He was definitely serious.

"Yeah, ok, just note taking?"

"Yes, I appreciate it."

"Cool, no problem." I gave him a warm look and Rose scowled at me. Lucky for me there seemed to be a disturbance, because I was just about to lose it with her. Not that I was sure what I would do, but her attitude was starting to piss me off big time.

"Oh no." Edward sighed. I turned to look and saw Jake, Seth and a couple of other guys enter the bar. He made a line straight to us.

"Pitcher please." He yelled to the barman. "How's it going Iz? Cullen."

"Black." Edward nodded.

"Now I know why we never come in here." Rose said in a low voice. She was really stuck up, wasn't she?

Emmet turned and saw Jake and I standing together just a few feet from Edward and Rose. He turned and approached Jake in a menacing way. Jake fell back on his heels, ready for a fight. Then Emmet grabbed Jake into a headlock, rubbing his skull with a knuckle.

"Jake! How's it going man?" Emmet boomed. They continued to wrestle for a moment, Jake somehow slithering around to get the upper hand.

"Better than you Em." He said. The two chatted about football for a moment. They seemed excited about Oregon.

Rose looked over, not overly happy that her husband was talking to the rabble. "Oh please." She whispered. Edward smirked.

"I told you he was common when you married him." he said.

I looked over to see that Alice was now fully engaging the circle of my friends, telling some kind of story. They were all laughing along with her except Jasper who was standing slightly to one side rather stiffly.

Then Jake came back to me. Edward did not seem happy. "Hey Iz, want a drink?" He laughed.

"You know, I'm tired, I might go to bed." I said. Edward's eyes widened.

"Need a ride?" Jake asked.

"Sure." I said. I had only had a couple of drinks and Jake had only had the one. This couldn't be classed as a drunken fling, could it.

I went to Edward. "I'll be careful." I told him, fixing his eyes with mine.

"I'm going to stay here." He said, looking over my shoulder. "We're trying to figure out if the killer is in here."

Realisation struck me. I now could see that they were all surveying the crowded bar in their own way. Alice by having fun, Jasper by staring into people's souls, Rose by judging everybody, Emmet by being cool and engaging in guy talk, and finally Edward, reading minds in his own special way.

"Good luck." I said, taking his hand. He stared at me longingly. I had to turn or I wouldn't have been able to leave, but leave I did.

Jake drove my truck to my house, gunning it a little more than I liked, but he was having fun so I let him go for it.

When we pulled up I invited him in for coffee.

Let's just say he didn't choose to spend the night on the couch.


	17. Chapter 17

I woke up with a mouthful of hair. It took a few seconds to realise it wasn't mine. It was

thick, and black, and very long. I could feel a strong arm around my waist. When I opened my eyes I was face to face with Jake. He was fully awake and smiling a big, goofy grin. Oh boy, looks like we are doing this, then.

"Morning" He beamed. His big brown eyes were glinting in the morning light.

"Urrghga." Was about the most intelligible thing I could manage. My head was pounding, and it wasn't from the liquor.

"Great to see you too." Oh wow, he was actually mocking my morning state. Utter bastard. He would pay for that.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"Oh about half seven." He replied, still smiling, still far too happy for this time in the morning. Then the realisation struck me and I jumped out of bed.

"Holy shit! Work!" I said. It was at least ten minutes since my alarm should have gone off. I probably never quite got around to setting it last night, as I had other things on my mind. Then I realised he was still grinning that stupid big cheshire cat grin. "What?" I asked.

He simply gestured toward me. I looked down to see that I was butt naked. Well, is there a better way to get out of bed in a morning?

"Can't you ditch?" He asked. "Call in sick, stay in bed all day, I can keep you company." He was lying suggestively on my bed now, the covers only just over his crotch. His well toned body was all too visible. It took a lot of willpower to shake my head.

"No, I have an important meeting today." I was already trying to find my undies. He looked crestfallen.

"Oh." He pouted. "With shovel face?"

"If you mean Edward, then yes, it's with him. And his family. I think it's about the killings."

"Oh." Now he was a little more upbeat. Well that's not so bad."

"Thanks for the approval." I grabbed my wash bag and threw his shirt at him. "Now come on, I'm running late."

I took a shower and when I was done he was sitting on my bed in his clothes, jeans and a white t-shirt. You know I really hadn't noticed what he was wearing last night, I was far more interested in what was underneath.

I gave him a look and started to dress, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he watched me. "Can you go brew me some coffee or something?" I asked.

"Sure." he chuckled on his way down the stairs. That left me to get dressed in peace, and it was a good thing he had left because I noticed I was trying to pull on my blouse backwards.

When I got downstairs he was just finishing up a large bowl of cereal, and chatting lightly with Jess. I was embarrassed as hell for a few minutes until she caught my eye behind his back. She stuck her thumbs way up in the air and mouthed the word 'wow'. I stopped myself from laughing by pretending to yawn, and hit the caffeine..

After a few minutes of uncomfortable (from my perspective, I could see Jake was loving it) conversation his phone buzzed and he jumped up. "Well, that's my ride." His smile was so vibrant and infectious. "See ya down the bar tonight?" He leaned across the table to kiss me then bounded out of the door, leaving us both breathless. Jess looked at me.

"Bitch." She said with a wide smile.

When I left the house, the merc was sitting outside waiting for me. Jess smiled and winked, and made her way to my truck. I threw her the keys. Really, I may as well just give her the keys permanently.

I slid into the passenger seat and smiled at Edward. "Morning." I said in a casual way.

"You seem in a good mood." His eyes were dark. Ok, so I guess I was taunting him a little, but man the guy was moody. If he felt like that then why bother even picking me up at all?

"Yeah well, I'm ready for a big day." I was smiling. I had powered dressed and I felt ready for the meeting. I felt like there was nothing my shoulder pads couldn't handle.

"Are you going to an eighties disco?" He asked, smiling sarcastically. "Because I went to a few back in the day, and I have to tell you, they were all hype."

"You never told me what this meeting is all about." I said, refusing to let him dampen my mood.

He was quiet for a few moments as he sped along, thinking.

"We found some of our kind. Well Emmett did. I wasn't able to get a decent read on them so we invited them for a chat."

"And you thought the best place was the office?" I was incredulous.

"They won't try anything with so many humans around. Keeping the secret is something we all try and do. No one wants to anger the Volturi." He shook his head solemnly as he glided into his parking bay.

"The who?" I had forgotten the meeting.

"Not now. I'll tell you about them sometime." He had caught the inquisitive gleam in my eye. "Anyway I thought you might like to get an up close look at a few more of us."

I thought for a second. "So are you not all the same?" Immediately it felt like a stupid question. Why would they be?

He smiled and shook his head as he got out of the car. In a flash he was on my side helping me out, taking my hand and fixing me with his golden eyes. "Ten o'clock then. I'll be over your side early." And with that he turned and walked off leaving me to stare after him. Why couldn't life be simple?

No sooner had I sat at my desk as Jess was there at my side with Angela, Tess and Alex crowding in behind her. Her grin was wide and dangerous looking.

"Do tell." She said in a playful yet menacing voice.

"Tell what?" I asked as I tapped my keyboard, trying to give the impression that I was busy.

"Tell us about the guy." Tess said quickly, as if it was obvious.

"Oh Jake? Well you all met him last week when he came here..." I kept my head down. This was not a morning conversation I wanted to have.

"So did you just give up on Cullen?" Asked Alex. I could see he was struggling to contain himself. "Too much hard work, or you just prefer this guy?"

"Look, can we talk about this tonight please?" I waved my hand dismissively. They all seemed disappointed but Angela made the first move away and the others followed. I caught her eye and she mouthed 'sorry.'

I noticed that Mike was looking very sulky, taking lots of sips of too hot coffee and burning his mouth. Every time I caught him looking at me he looked away. Eric was less annoyed by my actions, being quite nice to me. I figured the girls had filled them in after I left and I could understand Mike's reaction, but I wasn't quite sure about Eric.

I was getting anxious as the clock eased past nine thirty and towards a quarter to ten, my head snapping up each time I heard the door. Just over ten minutes before the meeting Edward walked in to the usual mixture of puppy dog eyes from the girls and icy stares from the guys. Honestly, some of the guys in the office should get over themselves. He came straight over to my desk and I noticed Jess was watching intently.

"Ready?" He smiled down at me.

"Let's do this thing!" I announced as I got to my feet and followed him towards the meeting room. Then I realised I had forgotten my notebook and pen. Some note taker I was. I scooped them up and half jogged to the large meeting room. Edward was sitting in one of the plush leather chairs, and he motioned me to sit beside him. I threw my stuff onto the table and fell into a chair, noticing the amused look on his face.

"So, last night..." He started. Here we go. I had been expecting this in the car.

"What of it?" I asked. I tried to sound as glib as I could, but the truth is I actually felt slightly guilty. Had I actually betrayed him? Was there any kind of relationship there to betray? It's not like we had actually gotten very far other than a few car rides, and ever time I had made a move to try and get close enough to kiss him he had moved away or flinched uneasily, so what was wrong with me?

"That Jake guy got you home safe? He was thinking some pretty x rated thing..." He didn't look happy.

"He did get me home safe, yes, and don't you go digging around in his head for any other details. Some things should stay private." He looked a little taken aback by my forceful tone. In truth it wasn't like me and it felt kind of liberating.

Before we could get any deeper into our discussion the others started to arrive. First was Emmet.

"Yo, Swan, how are ya?" He boomed, a massive smile splitting his enormous face. "Get lucky with my boy last night?" Direct and to the point. Why couldn't Edward be more like that.

"Hey Emmet. You know girls don't talk about things like that."

"Ha, no worries. Was kinda hoping you would go for Eds here, but it is what it is." His laugh was infectious and I giggled with him while Edward looked chagrinned.

Then Jasper and Alice entered the room. Alice looked excited but Jasper stopped when he saw me and slowly sat as far as he could. I leaned over to Emmet who was next to me on the opposite side of Edward and whispered in his ear "What's his problem?"

Emmet whispered back in a voice too loud not to be heard by the entire pacific Northwest "He's still getting used to not eating people. Oh and he can hear you when you whisper like that..."

I looked over and he was staring at me. "Sorry." I said. He just shrugged.

"Let's hope these guys know something." Alice exclaimed. Her enthusiasm was always hard to resist.

Next up was Rose. She breezed in and sat beside Jasper, as far from me as possible. She nodded curtly at me.

"Hi Rose, how are you? Looking radiant today!" I said in a sarcastic voice. She just stared. I was going to break her, oh yes.

Luckily Carlisle came in almost immediately after her. As soon as he saw me he looked confused. "Hi Bella, what are you doing here?" He inquired, casting his eyes around the room.

"I invited her." Edward said. "I wanted her to be involved in this." The tone of his voice made it clear that this was not a request.

"Ok then." Carlisle didn't seem flustered in any way by that. Strange. "Well they are here. Esme is bringing them as we speak. He sat at the head of the table, and now I could see from where we were all sat that the newcomers would be facing us. Interesting.

Everyone was silent until the door opened and in walked Esme who eyed me curiously. In the moment before anyone followed I saw Alice's face change from excitement to terror. Almost instantly Edward followed suit, his eyes darting to me, then the door. Then they came into the room. In the lead was a very large man, dark skinned and bright eyed with dreadlocks down his back. The next was a stunning redheaded woman with a mischievous smile, and finally a dour looking man with plain features and long, greasy blonde hair. They sat in the seats Esme indicated before she took her own chair.

"Well, this is nice." Said the leader, his deep voice was heavily accented with a French lilt. He was looking around, trying to drink in his surroundings. "You have done very well for yourselves."

"Yes." Replied Carlisle. "It's been a long while but we are now in a comfortable position." I could see Edward making eye contact with the others, trying to send a message.

"Where are my manners, My name is Laurent, and these are Victoria and James." Various nods circled the table. "We didn't realise we were hunting on someone else's territory."

"Your actions look to have caused us some trouble." Carlisle didn't sound happy. "It will take a lot of effort to make this go away."

"We didn't mean to jeopardise what you have built here." He sounded sincere.

"All we have here is because we don't hunt humans." Now Carlisle was letting his authority flow. It was easy to see how he had built his life here.

"Well." Laurent smiled. It was wide and toothy. "We don't want to cause you any unnecessary problems. We shall be moving on now."

"I would recommend moving East. Most of the territory from here to Anchorage is covered."

"Thank you my friend, we will take your advice." He stood as did Carlisle and they shook hands. It looked very much like a test of power and neither man stood down. "Come on, let us leave these good people to their enterprises."

Victoria and James stood and the three of them started towards the door. Then I saw Alice look shocked again. It was just as we were standing, and Edward immediately looked worried and pushed me back into my seat, leaping across the table to square up to James who was now eyeing me with ravenous hunger.

"You brought a buffet and you were going to let us leave without sampling it?" James smirked, happily going nose to nose with Edward.

Laurent looked terrified. "Come now, let us not fight with these people here and now." The three then slowly backed out of the room, followed closely by Carlisle, Emmet and Edward. Within a second Edward was back.

"We have to get her somewhere safe." He said looking straight at me with regret in his eyes.

"What the hell?" I said, my voice climbing to a very high pitch.

"He is a tracker, James." Edward was starting to panic. "He picked up your scent and decided there and then you should be his quarry."

"Lets bargain with him?" Asked Esme.

"He won't stop until he has her." I hadn't seen him like this, he was terrified. "Because of us she will make for his most exciting chase yet. A human protected by vampires... He thinks it's perfect."

Carlisle and Emmet walked back in. Carlisle was all business. "Ok, what's done is done, Alice, what's coming?"

She was silent for a second, a far off look in her eyes. Then she focused. "They'll come after her. I see a window and a lot of glass, but it's very foggy."

"She has to come to our house!" Edward had one hand on my shoulder and his grip was vice like. "We can protect her there."

"Why should we?" Asked Rose, emphasising the 'we'.

"Because I put her in this situation." He looked at her, pleading for sympathy and she looked away, knowing she would help despite her own thoughts.

"Wait, what?" I said, trying to figure out what was happening.

"You have to come with me. We'll get you set up with a new identity, arrange somewhere nice to live, you'll be ok." Now the look in Edwards eyes was determined.

"You want me to just leave my life, run away?" I asked quietly.

"It's the only way." He said, reaching for my hand. I instinctively pulled away and started marching towards the door.

"I'm not leaving." I said. "I worked too hard for this for it to all go away. Figure something out." With that I stormed out of the room and across the office. Edward was hot on my tail, but I knew he couldn't risk moving too fast. I was outraged. I could feel my cheeks burning and my eyes were sore once again. Fucking vampires and their head games. I headed where I knew he couldn't follow. The ladies room. Once inside I locked myself in a stall and pulled out my phone, dialling Jake.

"Hey Izzy, how did the big meeting go?" He was as cheerful as ever. I choked a little.

"Not good Jake." Another choke. This wasn't going well. "Can you come get me?"

"Of course. I'm only down the road. I'll call when I'm outside." He sounded worried. I was glad to have him really. If I didn't then I would have to go along with the stupid running away plan, and there was no way that could end well.

True to his word Jake called again not five minutes later. Alice had tried taking to me through the wall of the cubicle, but I chose to ignore her assurances that if I did what they told me then everything would be alright. I knew her visions could change, and I also knew she didn't sound overly sure of herself. When the time came I was out of the bathroom before she was ready for me. Edward was on my shoulder all the way to the door, whispering that he had to help me and that I didn't understand how dangerous this guy was. I was hearing none of it. Jake was sitting on a powerful looking bike right outside the main door. He held out a spare helmet for me and revved loudly. I pulled it on and jumped on his back. The first thing I could think of saying was "Take me to your place." I knew they couldn't follow me there. On the ride I thought about the shocked faces of Jess and my friends as I had stormed across the office twice. They had just looked confused in contrast to the worried looks of the Cullens. I just had to get away and right now I felt like I could trust Jake. I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly, despite knowing that wasn't how you should ride on the back of a bike. He didn't seem to mind.

We pulled up outside an old looking house deep inside the Quillete reservation, Jake jumped off before helping me off with a steady hand. He took me inside where he had done a vey good job of decorating in a manly fashion. There were animal skin rugs and such, plenty of deep warm colours, and a huge TV in the lounge. He brought me a cup of tea as I sat on the couch.

"Jake, what is this shit?" I asked, sipping the vile liquid.

"Oh something one of my cousins brought back from a trip to England. They call it PG tea?" He laughed, knowing he had given me this horrible drink.

"Got any coffee?" I asked. He disappeared and returned shortly after with a steaming mug. I took a sip. "Better."

"So talk to me." He said, perching on the edge of the sofa and taking my hand, a look of concern furrowing his brow.

I filled him in on the situation, leaving absolutely nothing out. I felt that this was important enough to tell the whole story. He listened and then made some phone calls.

"Bella, listen to me, we are going to be ok, I talked to a few people and they are going to help."

"Who, and how?" I was calm, but unsure of how he could help.

"Don't worry about it now." He walked to the window. It was dark outside now, and I joined him. There, under the street light about twenty yards away, was a shock of red hair. She was just standing there staring at the house. I spent a little time calling Jess and telling her that I was ill, and Jake was looking after me, and then calling Charlie and telling him to take care of himself. I felt that everyone I knew should be safe. If they were hunting me I wasn't going to hide and force them to go after my friends and family to lure me out. Somehow I felt safer with Jake than I should have done. I watched Victoria again through the window, noticing that James was now standing by her side. They were totally immobile until all of a sudden they turned and leaped into the tree line and were gone from sight. I was probably a little too tired because I could have sworn I saw three massive dogs walk up to the spot where they had been standing and then slink off into the trees.

Somehow I slept that night, on a squishy leather sofa, in the warm, strong embrace of Jacob Black.

 **Ok folks thanks for sticking with me. Double episode next week!**


	18. Chapter 18

I was cold when I woke. It must have still been the early hours because it was still pitch black and the lounge light was on. Jake must have somehow managed to move me into a position where my head was on his thigh and I assumed this was to allow himself to remain sat bolt upright, ready to spring into action. I took a second to wonder what he was planning on doing to try and protect us from beings that belonged in the pages of a book or on a screen, but that was too depressing to dwell on. Anyway, there was a smell drifting through the door that went from my nostrils right to the pit of my stomach. It smelled like bacon. I flinched, not realising how hungry I was, but then I hadn't eaten since the previous morning.

"Hi, sleepyhead." Jake smiled down at me with that big radiant smile of his. He had a tinge of red in his eyes suggesting he had been awake all night.

"Hey you." I said through a yawn. "Who's cooking and why aren't I eating?"

He smiled wider still as he helped me to my feet and lead me into the small kitchen where Seth was busy at the stove. He shook a spatula at me in greeting and I waved back. We sat at the table and Jake poured us both coffee. The clock read ten minutes past three.

"I meant to ask you something..." I trailed off.

"Shoot?"

"What's with the hair? Last time I was up here it was short."

"Oh well you could say I went through a phase... then we got the band together and it felt right, you know." He flicked it back like a shampoo model.

"Band?"

"Yeah well after that weekend I was a little pissed off at being on my own so I got a couple of the guys together and started a band. We don't play many gigs, hell we barely practice now, but it's fun, you know? A good release for pent up aggression."

"So I called my dad while you were passed out." Jake started.

"How long was I out, and did you sleep?"

"Izzy, there is no way I was sleeping with those things out there, but you obviously needed it, you went down early, maybe ten. Thanks Seth." Our personal chef had laid a plate of bacon in front of us both, and kept one for himself. Jake took a few bites then continued. "Anyway, dad sent this loser to help me out, and called everyone he knows asking for help. He told me he was even getting some of the guys from the other nearby reservations over."

"Ok." I was confused. "First off, how come you had these conversations and I know nothing?"

"What can I say, you're a heavy sleeper."

"You can say that again!" Laughed Seth.

"Quiet you." I joked. I turned back to Jake. "Ok mister smarty pants, answer me this. What are you guys going to do against those things? They're monsters." I was almost hyperventilating until Jake took my hand.

"Don't sell us short." He said, shaking his head at Seth. "Anyway, dad wants us over at the Casino in about an hour, I would imagine it'll be a rallying call or some shit."

"We're going out there?" I pointed towards the window where inky blackness was giving way to dark grey.

"It's all good. Paul and Sam are out there now, they haven't seen anything for a while." He tried to reassure me with a wide smile.

I finished my bacon not feeling overly re assured. I had a really bad feeling about this, but Jake and Seth were casually chatting about work so I decided to leave them to it and let my mind wander a little. I was trying to figure out why Edward had invited me to the stupid meeting in the first place and not coming up with any answers. Jake snapped me out of my reverie.

"Ok, let's go, see what the old man has planned." He lead me out the front door with Seth bringing up the rear. The sky was starting to lighten and there were no clouds, but it would be a long time before the sun crested the horizon. We hopped on Jakes bike and Seth climbed onto a second bike, following us the very short distance to the casino.

"Really Jake, we couldn't have walked?" I said, pulling off my helmet. He just laughed and shook his head. I was starting to notice how much he lifted my spirits, even in times like these.

The casino was dark, the interior lights were all off and there wasn't much in the way of movement. We avoided the main floor and walked down a short corridor to a small break room that contained a TV, a couch and a few chairs. One of the guys that I didn't recognise was bringing in more chairs, and there, in the corner of the room was the old man himself. Billy Black, father time, the aged elder of his people. To me he was still old uncle Billy, the kindly face from my childhood, but now his jowls were much larger, wrinkles much deeper and his long black hair was streaked with grey. He was looking at me in a similar way to the last time I had seen him, and now he would no doubt be thinking 'told you so.'

"Hey pop." Jake flopped into a seat by his old man and I cautiously followed suit, the old man's eyes never leaving mine. "How are ya?"

"Not so good son." He coughed as if to exaggerate the point. "I could do without all this, but here we are." Jesus, way to make me feel bad about my life choices.

"So what's the plan?" Jake asked, taking the mug of coffee Seth was handing him.

"Well to start off with, I'm expecting the Cullens any moment." He did not look happy about this.

"But I thought..." I blurted out earning Jake a scolding look from his father.

"I called a truce. The treaty is suspended until all this mess is cleared up." Wow, he was not in a forgiving mood, was he? However, I guess being up before dawn for something like this would put me in a bad mood too if I wasn't at the centre of it.

Almost on cue the was a knock at the door and Seth jumped up to open it. In walked Carlisle followed by the rest of his family. Fortunately there were enough chairs now, the guy bringing in one for himself and dropping it making all heads swivel to him in readiness.

"Embry!" Jake hissed. "Jesus!" Embry gathered the chair and his dignity and sat.

I barley noticed the movement but suddenly there were a few more bodies in the room. Sam, the huge bartender and another burly looking guy. These people were certainly not at the bottom of the gene pool.

There was a moment of uneasy silence before Billy took the floor. "Thank you for coming. I trust you know why we are here." There were nods all around. Edward had his darkening rust eyes fixed on me. He had been staring since he entered the room, and it was making me feel a little uncomfortable.

"Thank's for calling us Billy," started Carlisle, "we were worried about you Bella." Great, let's bring the attention back to me. "I appreciate you're under a lot of stress right now, but we need you to stay calm." I nodded slowly. Trusting these people was a rollercoaster.

"I have people all around the area, and if any of them see anything you'll be the first to know." Sam spoke up, his deep voice booming. "I saw them last night but they didn't challenge me. They looked like they were just checking the place out."

"He won't give up." Edward's voice was dark. "Ever." His eyes never left mine.

Now it was Alice's turn. "I saw something on the way over, and I didn't recognise it." All eyes were on her except Edwards. Which I suppose was fine, as he would have already seen what she had seen. "It was a big window, coloured red and green in the middle of a staircase."

"That's the chapel, over by the cliffs." Billy looked curious. It's been empty for a while. I don't think I've been there since Sam got married. Sam wince at the thought. Ok, not a happy marriage I guess.

"I don't know the significance, but it seems important." Her eyes were wider than usual, like she had been on the espresso.

"I think it best to avoid the place." Edward's authority over his family seemed absolute. It seemed strange that even the man mountain of Emmet would be so docile towards his brother.

"Very well, I suggest we all stay here in the casino." Billy was back in charge. "Some of my boys can get some sleeping bags and food. I know you people don't need either though."

"If this turns into a siege we will need some sustenance but let's cross that bridge when we come to it." Carlisle was always calm.

Billy turned to me. "Bella, you must stay here, if you're inside we can protect you better." I nodded and that seemed to end the meeting. We went out into the main floor of the casino and Jake snapped on the house lights. There were faint shafts of light filtering in through the skylights high above which indicated the morning was bright. That would make things interesting.

Edward was my shadow. "Why did you run away from us?" He asked, his face hard.

"I just couldn't deal with it, ok? It was too much, I just needed some time." I sat at a bar table and watched Jake as he worked at turning things on. Alice and Jasper were sat in a corner and Emmet was chatting animatedly with Sam and Paul. It looked like sports talk from the activity.

"Well I hope you don't do anything like that again." Edward was saying to me, but I was only half listening. The rest of the congregation was nowhere to be seen. Carlisle and Esme had stayed behind with Billy and Rosalie had gone outside with Embry, Seth and a couple of the others who's names I didn't know. I found Jake again, he was fiddling with something by the bar, but he noticed me and made his way over. Edward's stare never left me.

"Get you guys a drink?" Jake asked in a friendly manner. Edward said nothing, standing and walking off, going outside. "What's his problem?" One of the things I loved about Jake, he didn't take things too seriously. He was grinning like there was some inside joke.

"I guess he just can't handle the situation." I said. "Can I get something liqur-ey? Something that'll burn my throat." He chuckled.

"You do know it's still only ten am, right?"

"And yet I don't seem to care." I flashed him a smile and he grinned. "Anyway, it's nine pm somewhere, right?"

"Ok, ok. Man, you're going to be the death of me woman." He stalked off to the bar and returned with a tumbler half filled with ice and an amber liquid for me and a glass of water for himself. I sniffed it. Whiskey. That'll do. I took a sip and couldn't stop myself from coughing. "That good huh?" He laughed.

"Shut. Up." I choked, laughing myself.

The morning passed without incident, people would come and go. They would leave stuff like sleeping bags and food. It looked like they were getting settled in for the long haul, and that was not alright with me. There was no way I would stay locked up like this, a prisoner. It pretty much meant James was winning. The more I sat and thought about it, the madder I got about the whole deal. Who did this guy think he was, just deciding to bring my life to an end. And that of Leigh as well, for that matter. We should be taking the fight to them, not cowering like rats.

Jake was out on an errand and Edward had just left to talk to Jasper. It was around lunch time, a fact I had confirmed when the smell of food cooking drifted through the room. My phone lit up and started to buzz. A picture of Charlie came up on the screen so I snatched it up.

"Hey dad." I said lazily. Being cooped up inside was making me sluggish, but what I heard next made me sit bolt upright.

"Need help...come... fast." He sounded flustered and distant. Then another voice came on the end of the line, soft and soothing. Almost familiar.

"Hello there Isabella, how are you? Snug in there?" It was James.

"What have you done with my Dad?" I was suddenly mad as hell.

"Let's just say this. He doesn't need to die today, providing you can make your way to the chapel alone. Do you think you can do that?" He sounded like he was asking me to pick up bread from the store.

"Yes." I snarled.

"Now now. If you bring any of the Cullens or these delightful locals, then I'm afraid Forks will need a new Chief of Police. And don't get any ideas, remember, there are three of us."

"I'll be there soon." Was all I could manage before he hung up. Oh holy shit, now what? There was no way I could just sit here now, and let him kill Charlie, but it would mine, my time was up. Charlie probably wouldn't ever forgive me, but I couldn't just ignore him, I had to try and reason with these people or something.

I told the guy by the door, Quill, that I was going to the bathroom, but once I was out of sight I made a run for the nearest exit. I found the one Jake and I had used that night that now seemed like centuries ago. The day was bright and warm, and in the distance I could see the crystal sparkle of a vampire. I couldn't make out who it was though. I made a quick line to the trees and plunged into the underbrush. I didn't really know where I was going, just following my gut, but Alice had mentioned the place like it wasn't far so I decided I should just follow my instinct.

About two hours of hard walking later I was rewarded with the sight of the chapel. It looked weathered and boarded up, but it was still impressive, all wooden with stained glass windows. However the windows didn't have pictures of saints, but wolfs and moons. I thought nothing of it and went inside. It was dark and musty. Shafts of light cut through the main room, speckled with dust motes drifting lazily. And there, in the darkness, was James, holding a cellphone.

"Where's my dad?" I asked, on the offensive already. I was closing the distance between us and he was simply smiling at me. Then he touched the screen and a video started. It was Charlie doing his news interview the other day.

"So we need help, all the help we can get. Hopefully answers will come fast..." He shut it off. I felt ridiculous. I had been caught out by a ruse worthy of the lowest of villains, but here I was, ensnared in his trap like a fly in a web. He smiled at me and I turned and ran. I got to the corner just before the exit door, and he was there so I changed direction and ran again. This time I turned a corner and was confronted by a big red mop. Oh god, they were both after me.

"Hey darling, wanna play?" Victoria asked, giggling as I turned and fled again. I made to go running up the aisle between the pews, but that route was blocked by Laurent. Oh crap. I started for the stairs at the back that lead up to the balcony, and I could feel James somewhere nearby, laughing evilly.

Then the front doors crashed open and the Cullens poured in followed by Jake and several others. I caught sight of Laurent making a run for it, out of the side door, but James had not given up the game. I was on a landing halfway up the stairs and I came face to face with him. He grabbed me by the shoulders. To my surprise I noticed a huge red tinted window directly behind me, and just outside was the cliff edge, the horizon visible quite clearly.

"Game over." He said, marching me backwards. I heard a crash and felt my body falling. Then it halted as I hit the ground, only a few feet from the edge of the cliff. I could hear the waves crashing far below and taste saltwater. I could also taste blood. Various parts of me were damp and red and I couldn't move without immense pain. This did not bode well for me. I looked up and saw a triumphant James standing with Victoria by his side. She leaped out of the destroyed window and landed by my side, looking down with a curious expression. Before she could act she was lifted by Emmet who had blindsided her and thrown over the cliff. As I continued to look up I saw a fight taking place, but it wasn't a fair fight, James was surrounded. The Cullens managed to grab him and Edward caught hold of his head, pulling. It popped off like a cork. I remember thinking that was an odd thing to see, then a darkness started to fill my eyes. Jake was there, his face swimming in front of me, shouting things that I could not hear.

His face was the last thing I saw as the picture on my life TV faded to black, and I was fine with that.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 - Epilouge

All the girls were sitting in the comfy seats except for Rosalie and Tess. The former was perched on a barstool with a haughty look of resent, and the latter was out on the balcony watching the game with most of the guys. In fact Alex was the only guy not out there, and I hadn't seen him for a little while. There was a rumour doing the rounds that he had taken down one too many shots and was in the restroom, regretting his actions.

Another huge roar filled CenturyLink Field stadium. I assumed that meant the Seahawks had just scored again, because it sounded like a happy roar, and not the angry roar that had flitted around the edge of my consciousness for days after the incident. Alice had told me later that the roar was Edward as he had torn the head of James from his neck, setting fire to the body. A shiver ran through me every time I thought of this, but I didn't know if it was the gruesome dismemberment or the memory of the vampire hunting me.

She had been the first face I had seen when I had opened my eyes, a full two days after going through that window. At first I think I was a curiosity for her, a fragile human having to heal over time, but as we chatted we really bonded. She had asked a few questions about how I felt towards Edwards too, at the start. But I managed to dodge that one, and lucky for me she took the hint. The second face I saw was Jacob's, with that great, almost goofy smile of his brightening up my world. He had come into the room and Alice had slunk back to sit in the chair in the corner. He had then proceeded to give me a blow by blow analysis of the fight. Victoria had gone over the cliff and was presumed dead, James we knew was ashes, and Laurent had made a run for it. Several of Jake's friends had followed him to make sure he didn't double back, and eventually he had gone way off the reservation. I was taken with how relieved Jake was, and how happy he was to see me. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed seeing him. He really wasn't making this a difficult choice.

Charlie was next. Jake had talked my ears off for a couple of hours and I was just nodding off when he came bustling in. Alice ran interference for me though, and he was waiting for me when I woke up. I was kind of shocked that I needed to sleep again after being out for so long, but the doctors told me that my body was trying to repair itself. When Charlie finally did get to talk to me he told me the killer had been found, and shot. I looked at Alice who gave me a stern look, so I just nodded sagely. He told me that mom was freaking out, but that he had managed to talk her out of flying up here. I told him that was ok with me, and that we would get her on skype when I was feeling better.

Jess was next, telling me about her on again, off again relationship with Mike, and how everyone in the office sent their best wishes. The official story went that I had been feeling ill and Jake had taken me to his place. I had gone sleepwalking in the night and gone through the window. Frankly I was lucky to be alive. They didn't know the half of it.

For the most part I felt physically fine, except that I couldn't move my right leg. I had lacerated a tendon as I hit the window, and was damn lucky it missed my artery by less than an inch. Then, to make matters worse, the leg had crumpled underneath me as I had landed, fracturing my shin. All in all my dancing days were done for a little while.

Over the next few days pretty much everyone I knew from Forks had come to see me. Carlisle and Esme were amongst the first. He gave me the once over, telling me he had been a practising doctor in a past life. In fact it was Carlisle who had saved my life, performing emergency triage on me while I was out cold, lying on the ground a few feet from the edge of the cliff and my certain death. I was able to piece together the events of the day from what people had told me. Apparently Carlisle had come to me immediately while the others took care of James. He had made my wounds safe and called for help. Jake, his family and friends had carried me back to Jake's house for the ambulance and from there I had been driven to the hospital where a quick emergency procedure had saved my life.

The last person to visit me was Edward. Alice had vacated the room moments before he entered, no doubt using her second sight. He had looked shaken. Even more pale than usual. His apologies were heartfelt. He even asked if I never wanted to see him again. He would go far away if I asked for it. I shook my head and told him no. It was not his fault, and I wouldn't hear of any silly self punishment from him. We had talked for a long time, and he told me I was the first person in decades whom he had felt a meaningful connection with. This had left me lying in bed feeling confused and uncomfortable.

When the doctors had cut me loose Alice had been there to help with the whole walking thing, being my crutch, my trainer and my biggest fan. Jess joined the club when I was released and allowed to go home. I had been in hospital for two weeks and the feeling of returning home was mainly relief. I hadn't realised how attached I had become to our little two bedroom house, but there it was. I even shed a tear as I crossed the threshold.

The scene that awaited me when I returned to work had brought more tears, the whole office was full of flowers and balloons. It was really great to see that people cared. I guessed they cared more than I knew.

The one dark spot on my road to recovery was Leigh's funeral. I don't want to seem like I'm glossing over it, but I struggled through that day so much I would like to put it aside for a while and think of something else.

Of course Charlie was hailed as a hero for solving the case, something which he was struggling to accept. Praise was never his strong suit. What he didn't know was that the Cullens had provided the evidence he needed. The 'guilty' party had actually been an escaped convict. The Washington state authorities had tracked him to the woods near Forks, and a marksman had taken him down. From there the Cullens had created the evidence they had needed to point the finger at the guy. He had no family and he had been in jail for multiple counts of murder, so they considered it an even trade. I felt bad lying to Charlie, but better that than the truth.

So here I was, a month after my glorious return to work, thankful that instead of going to Seattle to visit the clubs the plan had been changed to go to a Seahawks game. Carlisle actually had a private box in the stadium, and when he had gotten wind of the plans to visit the city he had essentially hijacked the event and invited us all to share his suite. He also paid for a hotel for us, so we would be travelling home in the morning. But my reason for being glad I was here was simple. I wasn't the biggest of sports fans, but going to a game allowed me to dress in a reasonable manner. Sweats were far more comfortable over my full leg cast than a dress would be.

I was enjoying the chatter amongst the ladies, Alice telling some crazy story involving walmart and the others were laughing along, but I caught sight of Edward as he slinked back into the room and tried to blend into the woodwork of the bar. To be honest I did feel a little bit sorry for the guy. We had been starting to hit it off after all, when Jake had basically waltzed in and started dating me properly. Well I say properly, as much as can be when you are a mangled wreck, but he hooked up a TV in my bedroom and fed me miso soup without any kind of complaint. Things felt good when Jake was around, steady and safe. He was something Edward could never be and that was a normal guy. Well sure he didn't look very average, and I'm not going to complain about that, but in every other respect he was a regular guy. Now that I was more mobile I had gone to his place a few times and I'm pretty sure he even tidied up for me.

However, now my attention was turned to Edward. I levered myself up and propelled myself across the room on my crutches. The girls must have become used to me refusing their help because none even bothered to offer any more. Edward was leaning in what appeared to be a very uncomfortable way. I knew him well enough by now to know he would be hating this. Besides, baseball was his sport of choice.

"How's it going out there?" I asked with a smile.

"The home fans are happy so they must be winning." This was almost torture for him. "Now there's another break in the play. People call baseball boring, and yet watch this?"

"People eh?" I shrugged.

"So how are you Bella, really?" He asked, eyes burning intensely with a desire I knew he would never fully pursue.

"I'm getting better." I said thoughtfully, then added "my future seems bright, y'know? I have a guardian angel as well as a great boyfriend."

He followed my eyes to Jake who was standing on the balcony with Emmet and Seth, beers in hands, yelling at the field. Carlisle had invited the Quilletes as a thank you for their help that fateful day. I hoped my misfortune could help to build bridges between these people.

"He's not good enough for you, y'know?" Edward said, still staring at Jake. "There are things he needs to talk to you about. Secrets he needs to tell."

I sipped my mock-tail (curse these painkillers.) "He'll tell me when he's ready." I said with a smile. Our relationship employed a no bullshit policy, and I trusted him to uphold it.

We chatted for a while, just the two of us by the bar. Despite my closeness with Jake, I felt closer to Edward than I ever had. We were becoming very close friends now and I attributed this mostly to the incident. It had given him time to think and now he was going to step back and let me have what I decided was best for me. He would always be waiting though, to catch me if needed.

I moved slowly out onto the balcony, the cold air pulling at my cheeks. Jake saw me and peeled away to come and wrap me in his arms.

"Who's winning?" I asked.

"Hawks are up by twenty. Looks like game over." He beamed at me, then without warning he pulled me in for a long, deep kiss.

My future in Forks looked bright indeed.

 **And there it is. Thanks for reading, all comments appreciated and stay tuned for something completely different.**

 **So you may have noticed in the review section I posted a comment regarding the Edward / Jacob thing. The important thing to remember here is that this story was written for my wife. She is the Twilight fan in our house, I just like to write, and I knew she would enjoy this. Anyway, I was about halfway through writing this when her subtle hints towards her preference to Jacob turned not so subtle and evntually she cornered me with "you do know she has to end up with Jake, right?" Well, needless to say that left me in something of a pickle. Not only was a fair amount written, but my storyline was set and I did not want to mess with it. In my origonal version the general plot was going to follow the original book, but then I was hit with the bombshell. If you fancy re-reading this someday, try and find the point in the story arc where I changed direction, it may not be as obvious as you might think.**

 **Anyway, I am genuinley grateful for all of the reads, follows and comments. Sure, there are a few complaints, but thats how we grow. Feel free to critique as much as possible, but The most important thing to me is that the work is well written and easy to read. The story, well that can only improve with practice I guess.**

 **Heck, now you have me rambling. Right, so the Wednesday schedule will remain for as long as I have material. There are two projects in the works, so I should have plenty for you for a while. Please remember though I write about eight to ten weeks in advance so changes need to be requested early.**

 **Thanks again.**

 **Jim**


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